TOURISTS packed into York to enjoy two days of tropical temperatures as York enjoyed its hottest May day for more than ten years.

City tourism chiefs have hailed a bumper weekend, after the heatwave saw York record a high of almost 27C (79F) on Saturday and 25C (77F) yesterday.

It was the highest temperature in May since 1992, when the temperature soared to more than 28C. A spokeswoman for York Tourism Bureau said: "The city was really busy, it has been a great weekend. The Museum Gardens was packed with people, you couldn't move in there.

"The City Walls were very busy and there were big queues outside all the main attractions."

Bosses at the Yorkshire Museum said the weekend had rounded off a good week.

"We had a good week with it being half-term, with lots of families and children coming in, and this weekend has been great," said a Yorkshire Museum spokesperson.

"The Museum Gardens were full of people enjoying the fine weather, and it was as busy as it has been for a long while."

York Boat also had a great weekend, with the river proving as popular as ever among visitors and residents alike.

The Castle Museum was very busy, with visitors flocking in, and the Minster enjoyed a good two days at the end of a busy week.

The weekend heatwave rounded off a warm May, which saw temperatures in Yorkshire about 1.6 degrees above the seasonal average.

Forecasters have predicted more overcast weather with temperatures around the 20C mark for the next couple of days.

Updated: 10:37 Monday, June 02, 2003