NEWCASTLE was once a tropical paradise similar to the islands in the Bahamas, it has been disclosed.

Scientists drilling deep beneath the city have discovered fossil evidence of exotic shells and coral.

The 300-million year old rocks were extracted from limestone 1,000ft below the ground during a 900,000 green energy project to harness geothermal power from the earth's crust.

Engineers watched a plume of steam gush from a borehole in Newcastle City centre when the drilling reached its target depth.

The renewable resource will be used to heat hundreds of homes and provide power to buildings near St James' Park.

Newcastle Institute for Research on Sustainability director professor Paul Younger said: "We are trying to harness what really is about the lowest carbon form of energy there is.

The project is funded by the Newcastle Science City partnership and the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

The borehole on the site of the former Newcastle Brewery reached a depth of 2,000m (6,562ft).

Energy will be extracted from hot water being pumped out at a temperature of about 80C (176F).

Professor Younger said: "It's an incredibly exciting project. If we're right and we pump up water at such elevated temperatures, it would mean a fully renewable energy supply for a large part of the city centre."