The Firefox web browser is on the verge of breaking the record for the number of downloads in a day.

The new Firefox 3.0 has already been downloaded by millions of people as its creators attempt to set a world record to mark the relaunch.

Plans did not run smoothly, however, as the race hit a roadblock soon after it began at 6pm last night. Servers belonging to Mozilla, the company which makes Firefox, ground to a halt as initial interest overwhelmed the company with traffic.