PEOPLE were interrupted from their films this evening after a fire alarm sounded at the new Odeon in Bournemouth.

Hordes of people had to assemble in the cinema's foyer after the alarm went off at around 6.30pm.

Fire crews were alerted, but it was a false alarm so they did not attend.

A spokesperson for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "We received a call direct from the site, but they did not require us to attend. It was a false activation."

Richard Rowe, general manager at Odeon Bournemouth, said: "Guests and colleagues at Odeon Bournemouth were evacuated yesterday evening as a safety precaution following the trigger of an alarm.

Safety is our number one priority, and we’d like to thank our guests for their patience and understanding whilst we resolved the matter of the false alarm."

He added the cinema was "back up and running as normal" on Saturday, and was offering anyone affected by the evacuation free passes to return to the cinema.