Security tightened up at much-loved former cinema…

Security tightened up at much-loved former cinema after yobs break in

Pictures revealed how yobs managed to break into a disused Liverpool city centre cinema and hurl objects at passers-by from the roof.

As reported in the ECHO yesterday (Tuesday), police were called to the former ABC cinema in Lime Street on Friday evening to reports of a group of youths on the roof of the building who were throwing items at members of the public. The group left the area when patrols arrived and entered the premises.

It's believed rough sleepers had first broken into the building by means of damaged metal boarding, and the thugs used the same method to get in and then climb on to the roof.

The pictures released by Merseyside Police showed the insecure security measures on the outside of the building which those wishing to gain entry were easily able to breach. One showed an officer pulling away one side of the damaged metal boarding to reveal an entry point into the old cinema, and a smaller section where the anti-trespassing measures were also not secure.

The damaged boarding at both points has now been replaced after police teamed up with Liverpool Council to improve security and deter antisocial behaviour at the building, which ceased operation as a cinema nearly 25 years ago.

An officer inside the old ABC cinema after police were called out to reports of antisocial behaviour at the site (Merseyside Police)

Meanwhile a picture taken inside showed the litter-strewn state of the former cinema. The seating in the stalls has been ripped out but the curtain in front of the screen remains in place, albeit looking increasingly neglected and moth-eaten.

Lime Street's former ABC cinema initially opened as the Forum in 1931. An ornate building that evoked memories of Hollywood's Golden Age, it attracted viewers long before the days of the multiplex or streaming.

A glimpse inside the disused cinema, which closed down nearly 25 years ago (Merseyside Police)

Lime Street was once home to a chain of three cinemas. The ABC was the largest of them, while the Futurist and the Scala cut smaller figures. However the last two were controversially demolished in 2016 and 2017 as part of a redevelopment of the Lime Street corridor.

The ABC has stood silent since closing its doors to the public in January 1998 and its future is unclear. In November 2019, the council said a "number of options" were being considered for the future of the old ABC building, three years after it gave the green light to plans to turn it into a performance venue.

One of the insecure entries into the old cinema building, which has now been repaired (Merseyside Police)

It was talked up as a state-of-the-art music and entertainment venue to host live performances inside the famous auditorium, holding up to 1,500 people, but little more was then heard about the project.

The metal boarding has now been secured in a bid to prevent any more incidents at the old Lime Street cinema site (Merseyside Police)

Since then, the only visitors to the old picture palace have been urban explorers and other intruders.

For the latest news and breaking news visit http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/ .

Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you.

We're also on Facebook/theliverpoolecho - your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day from the Liverpool ECHO.

Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here

Bully locked woman and her pug in room and beat them for hours

Fire engines called as blaze engulfs bridge entrance

Plumes of smoke spotted as fire engulfs New Brighton waterfront

Rain and thunderstorms predicted across Merseyside as heatwave comes to an end

Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.

Already a member? Sign in here