Brit beach volleyball team stops traffic in Parliament square

London, May 25 (ANI): The British beach volleyball team managed to stop traffic as they played a game against the backdrop of the Houses of Parliament, sporting briefs and bikinis.

Zara Dampney, who was joined by team-mates Shauna Mullin, Denise Johns and Lucy Boulton, said that it was 'great fun' to play at such an iconic location.

And with the temperature climbing rapidly it was also the perfect weather to flaunt their head-turning sports gear.

The early-morning match was a stunt to remind drivers that the London 2012 Olympics will cause major disruption on the roads - as there will be an extra 1,000 games-related vehicles travelling every hour.

Beach volleyball will be held at Horse Guards Parade this summer, with 5,000 tons of sand shipped in especially for the players to compete on.

Tickets for the sport were among the fastest to sell out, despite it being little-played in the UK.

The British team, which usually trains in the warmer climes of California and Tenerife, were able to take advantage of this week's homegrown heat wave for their Parliament Square exhibition.

The event was held not only to indicate the effect on traffic but also to help launch Transport for London's (TfL) online planning tool titled Temporary Road Changes.

"We are doing everything we can to make sure people are aware of, and can comply with, the changes that will be made to London's roads during the Games," the Daily Mail quoted Garrett Emmerson, TfL's surface transport chief operating officer, as saying.

"Roads in central London and around venues will be exceptionally busy during the Games. Our Temporary Road Changes tool means roads users can see where there will be changes to the road network, allowing them to plan ahead.

"Our advice is to avoid driving in central London and around the Olympic Route Network (ORN) and venues or, if journeys are absolutely essential, to plan ahead and allow extra time," Emmerson said.

Beach Volleyball made its Olympic debut at Atlanta 1996 and has since become one of the most popular spectator sports at the Games.

This year it will be played between July 28 and August 12 at a special temporary arena on Horse Guards Parade.

Shauna Mullin and her partner Zara Dampney, ranked 34th in the world, and Denise Johns and Lucy Boulton, ranked 50th are Britain's women's beach volleyball Olympic hopefuls.

At least one team (pair) is guaranteed a place, but whether both make it won't be known until next month.

The United States has won five of the eight Olympic gold medals since the sport's introduction. (ANI)