Warm weather kills four runners

FOUR runners died yesterday as the warm weather took its toll on competitors in Britain’s 25th Great North Run.

The male victims - the highest death toll since the race was first launched - were among around 50,000 people running the 13-mile course from Newcastle, across the famous Tyne bridge to Gateshead and on to South Shields in a bid to raise up to £10 million for good causes.

Ambulance officials said the only factor they could put the deaths down to was the “warm weather and sunshine” as medical staff reported a higher number of casualties than in previous years.