Worker rushed to hospital with horror hand injury after accident on ODEON cinema roof at Preston Docks

A man suffered a serious hand injury while carrying out work on the roof of Preston’s ODEON cinema today.

Emergency services were called to the cinema at the docks in Port Way this afternoon (Sunday, October 18).

The incident was described as an industrial accident involving a contractor working on the cinema’s roof.

Police, paramedics and fire crews attended and a rope rescue team was deployed to bring the injured worker down from the roof. Ambulance crews rushed the man to hospital for treatment.

The incident is expected to be investigated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

ODEON to be converted into storage facility?

A proposal to convert the ODEON cinema at Preston docks into a storage facility was recently given the green light by Preston City Council.

However, the ODEON chain has stressed that it is business as usual for the venue - and that it has no plans to leave the city.

When the application was first lodged in March by the owner of the site, Aylward Town Planning Ltd., it was described as a contingency “in the event that the existing tenant was unable to continue trading as a cinema”.

Asked about the future of the Preston venue, a spokesperson for ODEON said: “We are aware of a planning application submitted by the landlord in relation to our ODEON Preston cinema.

"It does not affect our operating position in any way. ODEON Preston remains open and our focus continues to be on delivering a great cinema experience for our guests.”

You can find more information on the ODEON storage facility proposals in our full report here.