People who chanced their luck to witness the Northern lights in Newquay on Sunday night were treated to a spectacular show.

Vivid purples, reds and greens lit up the night’s sky as the rare phenomenon made an appearance.

The spectacle, known as aurora borealis, was witnessed by a group of people from Towan Headland.

The Northern Lights is unusually seen from countries such as Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Greenland but occasionally the phenomenon can be witnessed further south than Scotland.

Northern Lights occur as a consequence of solar activity and result from collisions of charged particles in the solar wind colliding with molecules in the Earth's upper atmosphere.

Shades of purple, red and green were experienced (Lewis Greenwood)

Joe Penny, who was part of the group who experienced the Northern Lights spectacle, said: “Seeing aurora borealis in Newquay with the naked eye I don't think I ever really expected that. It was a wonderful moment.

“It was on my bucket list to see it at all, and we did.

“Experts are saying that we are in a cycle of aurora activity, which means it is the best it has been for 20 years.

“They are saying this level of activity will continue for the next 18 months before it dies down and we enter a period of inactivity.”