A TECHNICAL problem at Darlington’s Hippodrome Theatre which caused two pantomime performances to be cancelled on Sunday has been fixed.

The matinee and evening performances of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs had to be called off at the former Civic Theatre, which has just undergone an £11.7m refit and renamed the Hippodrome.

The fault was in a light fitting which had become loose in the upper ceiling of the auditorium, leading to the theatre being closed as a precaution.

A spokeswoman for Darlington Borough Council said: “As a precaution we had to close the theatre to undertake work to ensure visitor safety.

“The contractor that carried out the theatre refurbishment completed the necessary remedial work on Monday, December 11, and the theatre is fully operational again.

“Anyone who had a ticket for either of the two cancelled shows will be given a refund and offered tickets for an alternative pantomime show free of charge.

“We deeply regret having to cancel the two shows and understand the disappointment this caused, particularly for the children, but we must put visitor safety first.

“Our top priority is making sure those who missed out on Sunday are reimbursed.”

There were hundreds of disappointed families who turned up to watch the pantomime, starring former boyband star Lee Ryan, only to be told on arrival that it had been called off.