London. Sun lovers packed parks, beaches and pools across the country in an attempt to cool down. But rail travellers endured a third day of delays and cancellations, as speed restrictions were put on inter-city trains due to fears that tracks might buckle dangerously under the heat.

On the roads, motorists were warned to look out for melting pavement.

Overheated roads can become soft and rutted, making them uneven and difficult to drive on

said Paul Watters, head of roads and transport policy at the Automobile Association Motoring Trust. The hot weather also claimed its first lives as sunbathers sought to cool off by swimming.

Two 17-year-old boys drowned in separate accidents Tuesday, and a six-year-old girl was in intensive care in hospital after she was found floating face down and unconscious in a lake packed with children at Market Bosworth Water Park in central England.

Meanwhile, otters at an aquarium were keeping cool after managers imported a supply of snow from an indoor skiing centre.

The National Sea Life Centre in Birmingham, in the English Midlands, sent a refrigerated van to a nearby ski centre to pick up the chilly treat. The soaring summer temperatures also caused disruption in courts with the heat forcing two trials to be adjourned at Leicester Crown Court in central England. And the picturesque northern English village of Bakewell held its annual country show in keeping with the weather -- this year's event included camel racing.

Copyright 2003 AFP & WeatherOnline