LONDON, March 26 (UPI) -- It's just a fantasy but if they could, the British would hook up with Italians for a fling, a survey by a British travel research firm indicated.

Italians are the top fantasized lovers of choice for both men and women, results from an Internet poll by Continental Research, followed by their fellow countrymen and -women, the firm said in a news release.

"Although men and women agreed that either Italians or British were the top two nationalities they would most fancy a fling with, after that their tastes were quite different," said Colin Shaddick, director of Continental Research.

Irish men have the "gift of the gab" British women find attractive, Shaddick said. Women also were taken in by the darker look of Spaniards, Greeks and Turks. Men more likely would be drawn to Asians, French and Greeks.

Americans came in 10th on the men's list and sixth for British women.

If "Any Nationality" had been a choice among men, Shaddick said, it may have been the top choice.

As several respondents explained, "At my age you're grateful if anyone expresses interest!"

City hall to go timeless for a year

FREDERICTON, New Brunswick, March 26 (UPI) -- The Canadian city of Fredericton, New Brunswick, is counting on a Maine company for help in time management through repairs to its 130-year-old City Hall clock.

The clock was installed in the 75-foot high bell tower May 1, 1878. It still works but Brian Phillips, Fredericton's manager of property services, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., it's time for an overhaul.

"There's too much stress on it right now, like it's working hard to keep going," Phillips said.

In January, the city awarded a $111,358 contract to the Balzer Family Clock Works in Freeport, Maine, that specializes in the restoration of 19th century tower clocks, the report said.

As soon as the weather warms up, the clock -- purchased from Gillett and Bland of London -- will be taken down and shipped to Maine for restoration, a procedure that is expected to take about a year, Phillips said.

Plans are to extend the drive arms, so the works can be on the ground floor in a glass case where visitors and city officials can see the gears working at keeping time in the tower above, Phillips said.

Hoax Internet ad offers baby for sale

LEBANON, Ore., March 26 (UPI) -- An Oregon couple called a Craigslist.org ad in which they purportedly offered to sell a baby a "sick April fools joke."

"I don't know if this is somebody's really sick April fools joke," Birdie Avery told KPTV-TV in Portland Wednesday. "But when we find out who did this and who is using my name, I will make sure they get prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

Avery's name appeared on a recent ad on the popular Internet site offering to sell a child they had been caring for, to get money to buy drugs.

The Lebanon, Ore., woman says she and her husband have lovingly raised their own kids plus grandchildren, and they don't even own a computer.

KPTV said police in Lebanon and nearby Salem were looking into the matter.

Station mistakenly lowers gas price

CHICAGO, March 26 (UPI) -- A Shell Oil station northwest of Chicago caused quite a commotion when it mistakenly dropped the price of regular gasoline to $2.49 a gallon.

Dozens of motorists packed the station at Illinois Highways 31 and 176 in Crystal Lake, Ill., after an employee accidentally set the sign and pumps to $2.49 for a gallon of regular -- instead of raising it to $3.49 as planned -- the Chicago Tribune reported Wednesday.

Many drivers were able to fill their tanks Tuesday afternoon before the station manager arrived and corrected the price.

"I haven't seen this price in a long time," said one motorist filling up his sport utility vehicle for $2.49 a gallon.

An employee of a Citgo station located across the street called his boss to tell him about the $2.49 price for regular but the boss decided Citgo wasn't going to match it.