Pantomime passes fire inspection

The children hope the Aladdin production can proceed

A wrangle that threatened a children's pantomime has been resolved after it passed a safety inspection.

Aberdeen City Council had warned the organisers of Aladdin at the village hall in Culter that they did not have a theatre licence.

The show is due to open on Wednesday and there were fears it could be halted if the council called in the police.

However, fire safety officers have now given the building the all-clear after an inspection on Monday morning.

The village hall will now host the annual pantomime, which has been staged since 1992, as planned.

Public safety

Speaking before the result of the inspection was made public, Culter village hall committee president Susan Chappell-Smith said she was "hopeful" the building would comply with safety standards.

She added: "We will have to apply for a theatre licence in the future as the public entertainments licence is no longer valid."

Ms Chappell-Smith had earlier described the initial threat over the theatre licence as a "bombshell", and pointed out there had been no problems with safety issues in previous years.