PEOPLE sweltering through the heatwave are being urged to chill out as tempers begin to boil.

Despite yesterday's downpour, temperatures in East Lancashire have this week remained in the mid-80s, and sales of beer, ice cream and electric fans have soared.

But so too have incidents of people losing their cool.

Police say they have dealt with a higher number of situations in which tempers have become frayed, while motoring organisations warned today that drivers were becoming hot under the collar and less tolerant.

The country's largest couple counselling service, Relate, also said the hot weather was putting an added strain on relationships.

Police are urging people to consume less alcohol. A spokesman in Lancashire said: "It is clear that the hot weather causes a larger number of incidents resulting from people's nerves getting frayed around the edges and tempers wearing a bit thin.

"Increases in alcohol consumption in the hot weather also create problems."

Relate spokeswoman Julia Cole said: "Spending time with the family can magnify problems because you can't get away from them as you can when you are at work. "The hot weather will be making this worse because, as people are stressed out, they are less likely to be patient."

Animal welfare organisations and the police have warned that dogs are more likely to bite and turn on people as the temperatures soar.

And the TUC has insisted that sweltering employees should not have to work in temperatures over 30 degrees celsius or 27 degrees for strenuous work.

The TUC report Too Hot to Work is calling for employers to reduce temperatures with fans or air conditioning or offer breaks and job rotation.

Staff at Debenham's in Blackburn have helped customers cool down by installing industrial fans in the store.

Whitewell Ices in Blackburn has drafted in extra staff to cope with demand and sales have shot up around 400 per cent. Company secretary Mohammed Younus said: "Staff are staying as late as 9pm to cope with the surge in business.

"As long as the shops want the ice cream we have to keep supplying."

The temperatures are threatening to make it the hottest August since records began, although the Bank Holiday weekend should be cooler.

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