A FIELD of 25,000 giant sunflowers enjoyed a rare glimpse of the sun after Britain's sodden summer threatened to kill them off.

The enormous 8ft tall flowers made for a spectacular sight as they bloomed amidst a backdrop of yellow sun and blue skies.

The sunflowers are spread over eight acres at a pick-your-own farm at Sopley, near Christchurch in Dorset, which is now bracing itself for an influx of secateur-wielding customers.

The bright blooms have shot up despite a miserable month of wet weather and are now set to peak with a spell of warm and dry conditions forecast.

Rob Cox, Sopley Farm manager, said: "The sunflowers are absolutely fantastic, our visitors love them almost as much as the bees do.

"There's been rain almost every weekend this summer, which hasn't helped them or us, so it's good to see that things are looking a bit brighter."