Large clouds of orange dust blown in from the Sahara have covered Athens and other Greek cities.

An amber haze has smothered various regions across the country after days of strong winds have blown over from the Mediterranean.

Landmarks including the Acropolis, Lycabettus Hill, the Temple of Apollo and Tourkovounia Hill have all been painted orange by the Saharan winds.

It is one of the worst such episodes to hit Greece since 2018, according to officials.

Greece’s weather service said that the skies are predicted to clear later today as winds shift.

The rapid weather development resulted in soaring temperatures sweeping across the nation, with the mercury hitting 30C on the southern island of Crete – more than 20C higher than most of northern Greece.