More than 9,000 Panto fans poured through the doors of Clacton's Princes Theatre helping to make its professional production a box office smash.

Audience figures for 24 performances of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs starring TV's Alison Hammond and Nicole Faraday were up by nearly 50 per cent on the previous year.

Sales of tickets topped £85,000 - an increase of £25,000 on the year before.

The panto at the Tendring District Council-run theatre was produced by Polka Dot Pantomimes who also organised tours for schools and put on workshops for children after some of the shows.

Stephen Mayzes, TDC's Cabinet Member for Tourism and Community Life, said that the production proved very popular with all ages.

"The panto certainly hit the right note with audiences and we had excellent tickets sales, especially considering the financial climate," he said.

"We have developed a model to deliver a discretionary service at nil cost to the taxpayer as a whole and even returned a net profit of more than £13,000.

"The model has been a huge success and almost doubled the number of people through the door.

"I am delighted that Polka Dot has a three year contract with us and will be back again next winter."

Eight schools and Colchester Institute attended the panto for special performances.

The schools were Chase Lane Primary, Alton Park Junior, St Clares Roman Catholic Primary, Frinton Primary, Ravenscroft Primary, Holland Haven Primary, Coppins Green Primary, and Prettygate Junior in Colchester.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs which ran from December 14 to January 1 was sponsored by Clacton Pier and supported by Dream 100.

18/1/12