The show must go on for organisers at Chorley Little Theatre despite being hit by a truck.

The canopy above the doors has been on the building for most of the last hundred years but was demolished by a truck reversing up Peter Street causing thousands of pounds of damage.

Operations Director Ian Robinson said: “It was Friday morning and we were alerted to a crash at the front of the building and arrived to find our canopy in pieces on the pavement. It’s caused a bit of damage to our brand-new doors but thankfully nobody was hurt”

“According to witnesses, the driver had been delivering to a local store. He reversed at speed into the canopy, took a quick look and then drove off.”

The matter is now being dealt with by insurers but has been another setback for the volunteer-run venue.

The incident took place on November 8 but Ian added: “We have builders working on conversion of the Hyatt so they were able to clear up the rubble and make the area safe. It’s great they were on site but it has meant another delay to getting the Hyatt extension open”

"The building has also been left without outside lighting so Ian wants to assure audiences the venue is still open for business, with plenty of events coming up including the Pantomime, The Houghton Weavers, a Youth Theatre show and several cinema events.

A GoFundMe has been set-up to help cover the costs of building works, details can be found at www.chorleytheatre.com