Cinema reopening to clear the air

The Cameo was called the King's Cinema when it opened in 1914

Edinburgh's Cameo Cinema is re-opening its small screen after tracing a mystery stench to a hole in an old, cast-iron waste pipe.

The smell became so bad that customers were asked to smell the auditorium before buying tickets.

The pipe has been fixed, plastering is under way and it is hoped to reopen the small screen on Thursday.

It is one of Scotland's oldest cinemas, dating back to before World War I in 1914, when it was the King's Cinema.

Cameo manager Ian Hoey said: "It's actually a split in a cast-iron down-pipe through the wall of one of our auditoriums. It's not in our premises and it's not sewage, but sink drainage.

"But it's taken us several weeks, with the help of various contractors, to work out what the problem was. It's been a nightmare. I've learned all sorts of things about how pungent the smell of water could be."