THE CURTAIN has come down on the scheduled reopening of a community theatre after the discovery of rising damp.

The staging of a popular pantomime has been thrown into uncertainty, professional shows have had to be reprogrammed and plans for a grand gala evening put on hold after problems were encountered at Consett's Empire Theatre.

Managers had hoped to see the theatre reopen on January 6, with the staging of the Consett Citizen's Choir's pantomime, following an extensive £700,000 refurbishment.

Derwentside District Council theatre and arts general manager Nick Wiggins said: "We are very sad having to postpone the reopening of the theatre, but unfortunately it is one of those things. It is an old building and one does not know what is wrong with it until one starts working on it."

He added: "Everything was going well and we were on budget. However we suffered a setback when building contractors told us we have quite a bad case of rising damp on the external walls.

"They had initially presumed the walls were damp because of problems with the roof. But now that the roof has been repaired and walls stripped down it was found to be caused by rising damp.

"It is certainly curable, but the problem is the work will take a little longer than expected."

The contractors have applied for an extension to the work and the theatre - believed to be the oldest and largest in County Durham - is expected to be ready in early February.

Citizen's Choir secretary Olive Smiles said: "We are bit disappointed, but hopefully the show will go on.

"We are continuing our rehearsals and are waiting to hear from the council."

Mr Wiggins said talks would be held with the Citizen's Choir to either find it another venue or reschedule the production.

A show on January 22 by Big Band Crazy, featuring John Miller, the son of the legendary Glenn Miller, will be rescheduled.

Mr Wiggins said: "The good news though is that we will still be reopening. We now have a new roof and a substantial extension to the front, creating much more space in the foyer.

"And we have access for the disabled throughout. There is also new seating and the theatre will be completely redecorated.