SUMMER at last seems to have arrived thank goodness, just as we were beginning to give up hope of ever seeing the sun again.

As a nation we’re obsessed by the weather and as we definitely don’t see enough of the sun – certainly not in the north west – when we know it’s going to be hot, we make the best of it.

Add a sunny weekend into the mix and it’s a recipe to go mad.

And people did.

I wasn’t alone on Monday morning sporting unsightly red patches on my arms and face from a few hours sitting in the garden. An all-over tan it wasn’t.

But what the sun does bring out is a lot of unwanted flesh – chests, legs, arms, boobs, tummies, muffin tops, in a variety of different shapes and sizes along with rather too much cellulite.

It’s fine on the beach and in your own garden but in the town centre and sitting outside pubs, it should be against the law – can’t the council bring in some bylaw against it?

Yes I’m serious – why, at the first glance of the sun should some men feel it necessary to walk around the town centre bare-chested? They might be proud of their bodies, their tattoos and their beer bellies but frankly, I’d rather they kept them covered up.

And it’s not just the men, some women too could do with a full length mirror before they step out of the house.

Fine if you look like Keira Knightley but let’s face it, most of us don’t and those with a few miles on the clock (I include myself in this) are better covered up.

Looking smart in the sun is quite difficult and I fear as a nation many of us aren’t good at it.

Less is more as the saying goes and we could certainly learn a thing or two from our more elegant Euro cousins in France and Italy.

l Talking about feeling hot and sweaty, hats off to Brian New from Great Sankey who we featured in our sports pages last week.

The triathlete has celebrated his 50th birthday by completing a gruelling Ironman challenge in the heat of Lanzarote.

I particularly loved Brian’s quote about having a ‘rubbish swim’. He swam 2.4 miles in 1hour 28 minutes – there’s nothing rubbish about that.

I felt tired just reading about what he did.

And he’s not going to put his feet up yet, later this month he will compete in another Ironman challenge at David Lloyd in Warrington.

He’s doing all this to raise money for the British Limbless Ex-Servicemen Association and the Warrington Wolves Charitable Foundation – two exceptionally worthy causes.

Breathtaking Brian, I just wish I had your energy!