Lollies, suncream and frozen floor tiles: How a farm in Morpeth is caring for animals in the heat

Watch Emily Reader's report for ITV News Tyne Tees.

Animals in the North East have been struggling with the extreme hot weather conditions just as much as humans.

So staff at Whitehouse Farm, in Morpeth, Northumberland, have been coming up with original ways to keep the critters cool - offering up ice lollies, rubbing in suncream and keeping floor tiles in the freezer.

Morris the pig weighs 180 kilograms and has been receiving mud baths to help him keep cool.

The farm's owner, Heather Hogarty, said: "The pigs love a good wallow in a mud bath because not a lot of people know this, but pigs can't sweat - so that's why they like to wallow in big muddy puddles which helps cool them down."

Ms Hogarty's job has also seen her take on the role of covering Boris the skinny pig, who is a type of hairless guinea pig, in factor 50 sunscreen.

She told ITV News Tyne Tees: "They do love this heat because they have to be kept quite warm so they're heated in their indoor pen.

"If we put them out we have to put loads of sunscreen on them because exactly the same as us they'll just burn."

In the meerkat enclosure, the animals were treated to ice lollies full of fruit to keep them cool and hydrated.

Rabbits were laid out on floor tiles that had been frozen in a bid to stop them from overheating, and other animals were sprayed down with water too.

Whitehouse Farm staff's efforts to keep their animals cool has proven a full time job over the last few days, according to Ms Hogarty.

It comes as the UK recorded its hottest day on Tuesday (19 July), with temperatures in the North East hitting the late 30s (around 100 fahrenheit).

The conditions prompted the Met Office to introduce the first ever red warning for extreme heat, as a record-breaking high of 40C was recorded in London.

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