Stargazers were treated to a dazzling Northern Lights display which was visible across large swathes of the UK – and they may be visible again in the coming nights.

The aurora borealis lit up skies over the ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle on the Northumberland coast in the early hours of Sunday.

Pictures also captured the green and pink spectacle as far south as Kent and Surrey.

The Met Office said the Northern Lights could be visible in the UK again on Sunday and Monday night.

“They could be a little weaker tonight (Sunday), so most likely seen across Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England,” said forecaster Greg Dewhurst.

“They may be a little stronger again on Monday night so could be seen further south into central areas.”

The spectacle can sometimes be better seen through a camera than by the naked eye.

“Long exposure camera shots may show something each night a little further south than the above visible by eye forecast,” Mr Dewhurst added.

The phenomenon is most visible in the time around the equinoxes in spring and autumn.

It is triggered by solar activity, the Met Office said.

The sun emits charged particles known as solar wind, which, when they interact with the Earth’s magnetic field, are funnelled towards the magnetic poles.

As the energetic particles collide with gases in the upper atmosphere, they release energy as light.

Oxygen produces green and, at higher altitudes, red, while nitrogen creates blue and purple hues, the weather forecaster said.