Britain's historic referendum on whether to leave or remain with the European Union (EU) may have serious repercussions, but there was a lighter side as well, as 46.5 million registered voters head to the polls.

Despite the wet weather, long queues formed at polling stations, with some passing the time by admiring the setting and scenery.

A windmill, near Brighton, served as a voting booth of sorts.

Others took solace in having a "really good cafe" next to their polling station for perhaps a post-vote discussion.

A launderette was open for balloting, adding a new dimension to political spin.

Torrential rain and flooding caused chaos across London and the south of England overnight, with at least one polling station forced to close due to the inclement weather.

The skies may be bleak but pro-EU supporters sought to liven up spirits with a rendition of You Are My Sunshine outside London Bridge tube station.

The European Central Bank's media relations head, Michael Steen, managed to find a bit of comic relief in a cartoon he spotted in German newspaper Süddeutsche.

Germany's top-selling newspaper Bild was even willing to recognise England's infamous goal against West Germany in the 1966 football World Cup final if it remains in the EU.

Bild also said it would "no longer make any jokes about Prince Charles' ears", "stop using suncream out of solidarity with your sunburn", and "not field a goalkeeper for the next penalties, to make it more exciting".

With the fate of millions in the balance, the UK Electoral Commission wanted to be clear on the proper voting instrument.

A parody banner for the Leave campaign - making a jibe at apparent misinformation coming out of both sides - has gone viral, garnering over 4,000 likes on Twitter and 18,000 shares on Facebook.