The craze of jumping off cliffs is known as 'tombstoning'

Children as young as 12 have been seen throwing themselves off cliffs, in a frightening game called tombstoning.

Youngsters have been seen jumping into the icy waters of the North Sea off the coast of Whitburn, between Sunderland and South Shields.

The news comes after a series of drownings off the north-east coast.

On Saturday an eight-year-old boy was swept out to sea off Hartlepool.

In July a five-year-old boy died in similar circumstances in Northumberland.

The latest craze has been witnessed by National Trust warden Peter Collins, who works at Souter Lighthouse in South Shields.

He says groups of youngsters have been using 40-foot high cliffs along the Whitburn Coastal Park.

He says it is only a matter of time before someone is killed.

He says groups of up to 30 youngsters gather at different points along the coast.

Teenage boys

He said: "They use Trow Point, Frenchman's Bay and the Coastal Park.

"I have found that as the summer goes on they are going for higher jumps and in more dangerous places."

He said some youngsters wear wetsuits to protect themselves from the chill of the sea.

He added: "They egg each other on. It is mainly teenage boys and they do it in front of girls.

"We have some cliffs here that are between 20 feet and 40 feet high, and jumping off them is increasing in frequency.

"Some have wetsuits, so they don't get cold so quickly. That means they can make repeated attempts.

"They get back up by climbing up the cliff. That is dangerous in itself - it can be slippery when wet."

A spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (Rospa), said: "This sort of behaviour is absolutely amazing.

"These children do not know the depth of the water and there is also the risk of being carried out to sea or drowning."