STRIPPING firemen helped to raise thousands of pounds for charity last week.

Firefighters from Cleveland performed a real-life Full Monty show at the Chicago Rock Caf in Hartlepool and showed six packs to be proud of during a dance performance.

The 30-minute show, watched by a packed audience, raised £3,157 for the Children in Need Appeal.

It was the second performance from the nine-strong team, which originally intended to give just one performance to raise funds for firefighter colleagues involved in the New York disaster.

But the stripping firemen, who rehearsed with a professional choreographer and put in extra training at the gym, found instant fame at their sell-out first show in Middlesbrough and agreed to take their clothes off again to help Children in Need.

Alan Gill, who came up with the stripping idea, said: "The lads are amazed at the response to their two shows. Both events played to packed audiences."

A cheque was presented to BBC Children in Need at Stranton Fire Station in Hartlepool yesterday. The group plans another show at Zanzibar nightclub in Stockton, in December, but the dates are still to be arranged.