A popular Suffolk theatre has been forced to shut with immediate effect due to an "unforeseen fire safety issue". 

The Theatre Royal in Bury St Edmunds will be closed temporarily to the public until a resolution has been made. 

A spokesman for the theatre said: "It is with great regret that, due to an unforeseen fire safety issue, Theatre Royal has been forced to close to the public with immediate effect.

"We hope this is a temporary situation and are working hard with the relevant authorities to re-open as soon as possible.

UPDATE: The show will go on! Theatre announces it WILL reopen

"This closure has resulted in the cancellation of the Thursday 3 August performance of Suffolk Young People’s Theatre’s, Ghost, The Musical.

"We are sorry to have disappointed both cast and audience members but the safety of both of those is our number one priority.

"At this moment we do not know if the Friday 4 August and Saturday 5 August performances will go ahead."

Decisions on future shows at the theatre will be made no later than 2pm on Friday, the spokesman said. 

Holders of tickets for the affected performances will receive a full refund or be moved to an alternative performance if those are safe to proceed.

"We deeply regret this situation, but this is sometimes the nature of running and maintaining an historical building," the spokesman added.

"As you can imagine, our Box Office team will be very busy so please await further information which we will share as soon as we have it.