A crane was used at a North-East museum to lift a fire engine and other exhibits out of a window and down two floors.

The operation took place at Newcastle's Discovery Museum as part of a £10.7m transformation, which will include three new galleries and improved visitor facilities.

The objects being moved were some of the museum's largest and most impressive.

They included the Merryweather Metropolitan Steam Fire Engine, which was bought by Prudhoe Fire Brigade in 1912, and a four-ton Rolls-Royce Conway jet engine.

The exhibits are being moved to the ground floor to make way for the new Museum of Newcastle, which is scheduled to open in November.

It will be the first permanent gallery dedicated to the history of the city and its residents, from Roman times to the present.

The objects moved yesterday will be displayed in the new Science Maze, which is also due to open in November.

It will include a variety of interactive displays bringing to life a range of scientific and engineering artefacts.

Among the new exhibits will be a telephone exchange and Joseph Swan's lightbulbs.