Sand in the City, just in time for more rain

Who needs St Tropez? This corner of the City has been transformed into a beach with golden sands and palm trees.

All that's missing at the Urban Beach, Finsbury Square, are the warm blue waters of the Mediterranean and, erm, the sun.

Forecasters are predicting dire weather with gales and driving rain this week. Undeterred, organisers of the temporary beach, which opened 13 August, have imported 10 tonnes of sand and 30 palm trees. They hope City workers will flock to kick off their shoes.

There are deckchairs, mini-golf competitions (to win an iPod if you don't already have one), live music and food courtesy of Jamie Oliver's Fifteen. Wi-fi internet access will allow diligent types to keep on working.

Alistair Metcalf, spokesman for sponsor BT, said: "The point of the Urban Beach is to get across the idea of flexible working, the idea that you will be able to work just as easily on the beach as in the office."

But with winds of 40 to 50mph set to bring rain across the South tomorrow and on Wednesday, it looks as if City workers eager to feel the sand between their toes will face a rather more old-fashioned British beach holiday experience, brollies.