The ice rink at Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, the largest in the UK, melted on Monday as the country experienced close to record temperatures for the month of December.

Temperatures reached 16c (61f) on Monday, coming close to breaking the record for the hottest December day in 177 years.

The result of the heat was the surface of Winter Wonderland’s ice rink turning to water, which had to be cleared away by staff. One visitor reportedly described the attraction as being “more like a water park than an ice rink”, while one member of staff said: “our ice chilling machine can’t cope with such warm temperatures.”

The warm temperatures were caused by a jet stream pulling in air from the Atlantic Ocean, which tends to be warmer and wetter than air from the north.

This year’s Hyde Park Winter Wonderland features a collaboration between Google Assistant at the park’s Big Wheel, as well as Secret Cinema showing off an immersive experience with film The Snowman.