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Makeshift sandy beach offers Londoners way to cope with record heat
London (AFP) Jul 19, 2006 As temperatures soared Wednesday to a record high for July, women in bikinis mingled with workers dressed both formally and casually on "City Beach," a patch of sand imported to the heart of London's grimy East End. "This weather won't last for long so you've got to enjoy it while you can," said Carolyn Baker, a 27-year-old data controller who sat back on a deck chair holding a glass of Pimms on her lunch break. Wearing a short skirt and sleeveless top, Baker was among some 50 workers lounging on deckchairs or sipping drinks below parasols on the stretch of sand dotted with potted palm trees. A small crowd stood around a Brazilian-style bar of bamboo and thatch which pumped out house music and served pina coladas and cold beer. It proved to be a popular alternative to the traditional pub. The 20-meter by 10-meter (66-feet by 33) beach is just over a mile (two kilometers) from the River Thames and 30 miles from the nearest English seaside resort and is surrounded by decrepit warehouses and bohemian shops. Entrepreneur Richard Lee turned this unprepossessing car park into an inland riviera four weeks ago, just in time to catch one of Britain's most intense heatwaves. On the third day of the scorching weather, the national Meteorological Office website said the mercury soared to 36.5 degrees Celsius (97.7 Fahrenheit) at Wisley in southeast England. The previous July record was 36 degrees Celsius (96.8 Fahrenheit), set on July 22, 1911, at Epsom, southwest of London. "I've been really lucky with the weather," Lee said. "It was a big gamble but it's paid off very well." Many of the "City Beach" sunbathers shrugged off warnings from scientists that the heat wave sweeping Europe was a result of the global warming induced by industrial activity. "I'm not worried about global warming," said receptionist Anna Zajac, 26. "It would be nice if we had a lot more of this weather in London." Zajac and her colleage, project manager Khalid Noor, 24, were both dressed casually in shorts and t-shirts -- their managers' concession to the Mediterranean temperatures. "My colleagues made a few jokes about my dress but my boss doesn't mind," Noor said as he relaxed in a deckchair. Grant McPherson, 26, had taken a few days off from his job as a physiotherapist and could not believe his luck at the weather. "It's great, I'm out soaking up the rays," he said. He said that despite the warm weather few people would take a sick day off work. "Most people have already done that for the World Cup," he said. McPherson said he believed global warming caused the current heatwave, adding: "I'm not concerned about it. Something has to be done, but not today -- I want to enjoy the sun." Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Dirt, rocks and all the stuff we stand on firmly
Seven injured in storms in Germany
Berlin (AFP) Jul 23, 2006 Seven people were injured overnight Saturday when a tornado hit Karlsruhe in southwestern Germany and heavy summer storms lashed the country's Bavaria region, local authorities said Sunday. |
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