With temperatures peaking in the mid twenties, it has been around 10 degrees warmer on Wearside and Tyneside than you would normally expect at this time of spring.
On Wednesday (April 30) the Met Office confirmed April has been then sunniest on record which was then followed up yesterday, May 1, with confirmation that the first day of May was the hottest on record with the mercury hitting 29.3 degrees Celsius in Kew Gardens.
In scenes more akin to the Costas, people have been flocking to the region’s beaches to sunbathe, swim in the sea and enjoy a range of beach sports - and we’ve caught it all on camera.
Checkout these 12 fantastic photographs of people enjoying fun in the sun.
9. Nothing like a paddle
Even the horses on Seaburn Beach went for a cooling paddle in the sea. | sn
10. Ready for summer
South Tyneside Council foreshore team take away the winter fence at Sandhaven Beach ready for the summer months. | sn
