YOUNGSTERS in Newcastle are opening up fire hydrants to cool off in the sweltering temperatures, police said.

Likening the scenes to something more common in downtown New York, Northumbria Police warned that lives are being put at risk.

They warned that opening hydrants is a criminal offence and they will arrest anyone caught doing it.

Newcastle West Police Inspector Mark Farrimond said: "It may all seem like fun and games, but fire hydrants are there for a very good reason - to save lives."

Meanwhile, people in Scarborough awoke to find a giant Mr Darcy, from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice emerging from the sea in the South Bay.

The 12ft fibreglass statue - depicting the Colin Firth scene voted the most memorable in British TV drama - was installed by UKTV to promote a new channel.

Officials sent out heatwave health warnings after four people died in water as Britain continued to swelter during the hottest spell of weather for seven years.

After five consecutive days of 30C-plus temperatures, the Met Office issued a level three heat health watch for London and the South East and advised alertness and readiness for the North-East.

Police and fire chiefs reiterated warnings about swimming in open water after four people died at lakes in Norfolk, a river on the Shropshire/North Wales border and the sea in Cornwall.

However, some respite is in sight with the return of more average summer weather conditions in the coming weeks.

Temperatures across the region will remain in the mid-20s until the weekend when it will drop a few degrees.

A Met Office spokeswoman said: "It is going to get a little bit more unsettled and we will probably see things returning back to normal."