A FREE pantomime has proved a hit once again with shoppers.

The MetroGnomes, mascots at the Gateshead MetroCentre, took to the stage before Christmas and have been drawing in the crowds throughout the festive season.

The three-week run of The MetroGnomes and the Gingerbread Man is expected to have been enjoyed by more than 20,000 people by the time the final curtain comes down on Sunday.

It is the seventh year running that the centre has put on its own free pantomime.