Sahara dust cloud: Cars left covered in red storm that blew in from Europe

Saharan dust blowing across Europe has reached the UK, with people in the south finding their cars covered in orange dust.

The dust turned skies over London an eerie shade of orange on Wednesday after blowing in from Spain, which has borne the brunt of the storm caused by the tiny particles that have travelled thousands of kilometres across the Mediterranean Sea.

The Met Office told Sky News: "The low-pressure system over Spain is indeed pulling a dust cloud up from the Sahara, which could potentially reach as far as the south of the UK.

"People in the south might find a bit of dust left on their cars as the rain washes it out of the skies today."

Although the dust cloud is more than a mile (2km) above ground level, some deposits fell to the ground during rain in southern parts of the UK.

Many of the raindrops have evaporated on people's cars, leaving behind ochre-coloured blobs.

Here are some pictures.

"It's not the best day to have a white car!"

There were some questions on whether the dust was caused by the Ukraine war.

One driver wasn't too pleased to see Saharan dust on their car.

Others were more relaxed about it.

Saharan dust is relatively common in the UK, often happening several times a year when big dust storms in the Sahara coincide with southerly wind patterns.

The Met Office have reassured the public there are no air quality warnings this time around however, cars are expected to gather red dust overnight.