Hundreds of people have been queuing in Weymouth to purchase specialist glasses for the highly-anticipated solar eclipse, described as the UK's most significant since 1999.
At Howleys, a toy shop in Weymouth, 500 pairs of glasses sold out on Tuesday. An assistant manager, John Diment, then drove 120 miles to acquire 4,500 more pairs. These additional glasses sold out within four-and-a-half hours of the shop opening.
Mr Diment had to implement a restriction on how many pairs each customer could buy, and the shop had to turn customers away the day before. Experts have warned against looking directly at the Sun without specialist glasses, as even brief exposure could cause lasting damage. They also advise against using sunglasses or dark goggles as alternatives, suggesting indirect viewing methods like a pinhole camera instead.