THEATRE-GOERS in Felixstowe are assured that the show will go on – despite the setback of a leaky roof caused by lead thieves.

The Spa Pavilion in Felixstowe experienced problems with a leaky roof on Friday night, following the theft of lead from the theatre’s roof towards the end of last month.

A spokesman for Suffolk Coastal council explained that the lead was taken from the roof of the under-threat seafront theatre on or around Tuesday, September 25.

The spokesman said: “The roof leaked on Friday night during a particularly heavy downpour, and some temporary repairs were carried out that night.

“If the weather is not too unkind, we are confident that the roof should be OK until November 5, when permanent repairs will be carried out for probably four days.”

Anyone with plans to visit the theatre in the coming weeks is urged not to be put off by the theft.

“None of the exciting roster of shows and performances lined up for the Spa should be affected,” the spokesman said.

The setback is another blow for the seafront theatre, which is already set to close in around ten weeks.

This comes after Suffolk Coastal council decided it could no longer afford the annual subsidy of �250,000 to keep the theatre up and running, particularly as the building requires substantial investment to modernise it, and is attracting low audiences.

Previous attempts to find someone to run the theatre attracted a lot of interest, but failed to secure a bid.

The theft of the lead from the roof of the Spa Pavilion was reported to the police at the time and anyone who saw anything suspicious is asked to contact police at Felixstowe on 101 with information.