THE Evening Press today exposes the appalling deterioration of the once proud Odeon Cinema in York.

Following complaints from readers we inspected the Blossom Street picture house and discovered shocking examples of neglect and decay.

We found:

Disgusting toilets

Naked light bulbs in the foyer

Filthy and badly frayed carpets secured by masking tape

A section of 100 seats cordoned off for maintenance work

Odeon expert Derek Atkins said today he suspected the deterioration was part of a "deliberate ploy" by bosses to justify its closure.

"They have run it into the ground," he said.

It has been nearly 12 months since Odeon chiefs announced that the cinema was being assessed for its economic viability.

Local film lovers were shocked by the news and we launched a campaign to save the historic picture house following a sensitive refurbishment.

Nearly 14,000 people from all walks of life signed our petition, which we handed into bosses at their London headquarters despite an attempted snub.

When confronted about the state of the cinema, a staff member at York Odeon said they were "very frustrated" by the lack of investment, but stressed they did the best with the money they had.

"The toilets have been like that for a while," he admitted.

"It (the state of the cinema) has got nothing to do with us. They (Odeon head office) were going to put some money in, but it never happened."

When we carried out our inspection, only four people had bought tickets to watch the matinee performance of Bride and Prejudice in the 800-seater Screen One.

Gloria Clarke, 52, from Acomb Road, was one of them. "The Odeon is a bit shabby and drab at the moment," she said.

I think it's a real shame because it would be a great loss for the city."

Mr Atkins said the cinema was doomed unless it received urgent investment.

"The Odeon could now claim it will cost too much money to bring up to a reasonable standard, which has happened elsewhere," he said. "It's in an appalling state. The carpets are taped down they are so badly worn. I don't know how they can justify anyone spending £4.50 to watch a film there."

A spokeswoman for City of York Council said a principal environmental health officer had recently visited the Odeon and was satisfied that the seating had been cordoned-off appropriately to allow routine maintenance.

We made several requests to the Odeon's press office for a comment on these issues but to no avail.

A spokeswoman said late last week that they could provide "some feedback" on the York Odeon but this had still not arrived at the time of going to press, despite repeated prompting.

Earlier this year we asked several times for an interview with the new chief executive, Tim Schoonmaker, but were told he was not available. He has since left the company.

Updated: 10:12 Wednesday, October 20, 2004