An independent cinema in Wisbech has been forced to cancel several film screenings due to vandalism which was originally thought to be a technical failure.

The Luxe said they had to cancel the planned livestream of Cliff Richard: The Great 80 Tour following a "critical equipment failure" yesterday evening.

"Sadly, it appears that our equipment has been vandalised," a cinema spokesman added.

"As such, we need to organise replacements or repairs and we cannot guarantee that this will not impact our screenings of Rocky Horror Show Live or Sunday’s encore of Cliff Richard.

Rather than "cause further frustrations and upset", the Luxe have decided to cancel these two livestreamed performances.

For The Rocky Horror Show Live, they have organised a screening of the original 1975 classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Shortfall in ticket cost will be added to a gift card for refreshments or a future booking.

And, for the Cliff performances, they have booked encores that will be "delivered in the same way that our films are" for three dates starting from November 12.

Some guests were able to be transferred last night as the team worked to get new performances on sale and agreed with our friends at CinemaLive who have been superb throughout.

"As a small indie cinema, we put everything into giving the best possible experiences on every single visit and, due to this technical issue, we have sadly let guests down," the spokesman added.

"We hope that we are able to reorganise your tickets - if affected you’ll be called - and welcome you for a screening, or we shall of course issue a full refund if you are unable to attend the new options.

"On behalf of the whole team, please accept our most humble of apologies for this sequence of events.

"We have been working through the night to organise the new shows, prepare call lists and get this sorted for you all."

Cinemagoer Sarah Bradbury showed her support for The Luxe, writing on social media: "We are so sorry to hear of this vandalism.

"Thank you all for working so hard to put things right for those affected.

"This doesn't affect us directly but we still appreciate the effort put in by all the staff.

"We love our little cinema and are grateful for all the hard work by the whole team to look after us. We will be back soon."