NHS reveals the hours and dates you should avoid spending time in the sun

Summer is coming round once again and that means the weather will soon be ripe for sitting outside and having a pint.

You can do that right now if you want to, but we're still in the early days of May where the sun can't decide whether it wants to shine or be stuck behind a cloud.

Meanwhile, the temperature can go from comfortingly warm to actually rather chilly in about three seconds flat, which is not what you need when you're trying to enjoy a drink.

However, the double whammy of the annual weather cycle and the catastrophic climate change we've inflicted upon our planet will soon mean that it's so scorchingly hot outside that you'll be able to taste the heat in the air.

In those conditions getting a nice cold drink down your gullet sounds very appealing, but the NHS has warned about the times and dates you should think about drinking in the shade instead.

Let's all enjoy the three weeks where the weather is nice enough to drink outside. (Getty Stock Photo)

Over here in the UK, renowned bastion of sunny weather that it is, the most intense times come between 11.00am and 3.00pm in the day between March and October.

The NHS recommends that when the sun is strongest you find some shade to sit in, so the spots under the pub garden parasols will become prime real estate during these hours in the summer time.

You should not be trying to play chicken with the concept of sunburn either, so they advise that you slap on the sunscreen (factor 30 at least in this climate) and wear suitable clothing.

Light colours which reflect light away can help during the summer, and you really don't need to prove that your skin is tougher than the star at the centre of our solar system by misplacing your shirt either.

Don't be shy about slapping on the sunscreen. (Getty Stock Photo)

You should also be mindful that drinking while you're being baked by the summer heat can make it harder for your body to regulate temperature properly, so make sure you stay hydrated.

It might be an idea to follow up your pint with some water, and to make sure that you're not quaffing so much and getting much more drunk than you realise.

If you're going to be out in the sun a long time then put on sunscreen 30 minutes before you leave and re-apply a layer just before you go out.

Pay attention to what your body is telling you and be careful how much you're drinking, that's basically the gist of it.

Also do what any responsible pub goer would do and look out for your mates, they'll be feeling the heat too.