CHAIRS lie twisted and smashed under a heap of metal and plastic after a ceiling collapsed in a new cinema complex.

These are the first pictures of the damage caused when 20 tons of wreckage fell in on the Odeon multiplex in the £70million Xscape centre at Braehead, near Glasgow, on Tuesday.

The damage could take months and cost several million pounds to repair.

The Record's pictures taken inside the 500-capacity cinema No.7 show the full extent of the destruction caused by the collapse, which we revealed yesterday.

As experts were called in to carry out a major investigation, there were concerns for the other 11 cinema ceilings which have been built by the same firm.

A source said: "It's like a scene from a disaster movie. It's as if a bomb's gone off in there. If that cinema had been full, every person could have been dead.

"Around 20 tons of metal and plaster collapsed and the entire roof came crashing down, including lights, air conditioning system and the screen.

"People would have been crushed to death. This could have been a tragedy."

Workers arrived on Tuesday to discover the ceiling had collapsed. The complex, which will seat 2406 people, had been due to open on April 6.

It is part of the Xscape complex which will boast a massive indoor ski slope, bowling centre, 40 shops, bars, restaurants and a climbing wall.

The project is being overseen by Laing O'Rourke, the company who built the Holyrood debating chamber where a beam broke lose this month.

A source said it could take several months for the complex to be ready for opening in the wake of the cave-in. He added: "Every cinema has a plaster board ceiling. Above that is the proper roof, known as the shell roof.

"That is what supports a huge weight, including lighting systems and the air conditioning."

Experts will carry out load tests on each roof. Then building bosses will make a crucial decision whether every ceiling has to be torn down and rebuilt.

The insider claims that already three roofs have already been tested and may need remedial work.

The source said: "The ceiling in No. 7 and at least three other cinemas have been built the same way.

"Experts will carry out further tests on every single cinema ceiling.

"They will carry out load tests to work out how much weight each roof can hold.

"That's when they will find out whether they will have to add in extra supports to each roof or rebuild every single one. If they put in extra supports and have men working round the clock, they will get the job done in a couple months.

"They would probably complete half the cinemas and open them up while they worked on the other six.

"But if they have to rebuild every single ceiling, then it will take up to six months and cost millions.

"And that's not including No. 7. That cinema is destroyed. The guys who fitted the seats were brought in from abroad and the job took them weeks.

"They will have to be flown back and that will cost a fair packet. The stage and screen are destroyed as well, absolutely everything. It will be a huge job to fix it."

A spokewoman for X Leisure said last night: "We won't know any more until a full investigation has been arried out."

Work began on Xscape in October 2004. The leisure centre will create more than 1000 jobs and is expected to attract three million visitors every

Print article   Email to a friend