Telford cinema evacuated after fog machine malfunction

Dozens of people spilled into Southwater square in Telford after being told to leave the nearby Cineworld last night.

A Shropshire Fire & Rescue Service spokeswoman said that the alarm had been tripped by a fog machine in one of the cinema screens shortly before 7pm, causing all showings to be delayed by almost an hour.

Twitter user David Estall said the machine had "gone mad", and praised the cinema staff.

He said: "I was at the cinema with my wife Lucy, we were about an hour into Booksmart when the alarm went off. We stood outside for nearly an hour then went back in and finished the film.

"The whole cinema was evacuated. Apparently it was the fog/mist machine that set off the alarms.

"The staff were great, helpful and apologetic, but it wasn't a problem – it was kind of entertaining and the street pastors were a fun distraction."

Some of the other films on show at the time included Elton John biopic Rocketman and Godzilla: King of the Monsters.