Youngsters have beem jumping into the waters of the Royal Docks to cool off in the hot weather - and police have had to get involved.

Officers were called to stop the dangerous behaviour yesterday evening and warned youngsters on twitter: “Please stay out of the Docks, they’re deep and cold!”

A resident captured the dangerous antics on video, where children can clearly be seen jumping off of steps near the Good Hotel, and said she was “concerned for the safety of the children”.

The hotel said they had asked the children to leave, and also contacted the Royal Docks, saying “a clear ‘no swimming’ sign in this side of the dock is much-needed to avoid any incidents”.

A spokeswoman from the Royal Docks Management Authority said: “We are aware of the problem of children swimming in the Royal Victoria Dock when the weather is fine.

“We recently met with the police and Newham Council to discuss this matter and we are all looking at ways to tackle anti-social behaviour in the area.”

The RNLI warns that even when water doesn’t have dangerous undercurrents, as the Docks does, it isn’t necessarily safe to take a dip.

“When the weather is very warm like these last few days, rivers, the sea – indeed any body of water – can be very appealing to cool off. But many people just do not realise that water takes a very long time to warm up, and is very likely to be cold,” a spokesman said.

He explained: “Sudden immersion in cold water puts people at severe risk of suffering ‘cold water shock’, which triggers the instinctive but life-threatening reaction to gasp uncontrollably and swim hard – and that can quickly lead to drowning.”

He continued: “A seemingly fun and innocent practice like this has the potential to end in tragedy.”

For advice on staying safe - and what to do if you should go into cold water shock - visit www.respectthewater.com