As performers get ready for their debut show, organisers of a seaside pantomime can say "boo hiss" to health and safety guidelines with the arrival of thousands of soft and squidgy marshmallows.

As performers get ready for their debut show, organisers of a seaside pantomime can say "boo hiss" to health and safety guidelines with

the arrival of thousands

of soft and squidgy marshmallows.

Producers behind the Babes in the Woods and Robin Hood pantomime at the Pavilion Theatre, Gorleston, last week banned the throwing of boiled sweets into the audience because they were concerned about legal repercussions if anybody was hurt.

But after being contacted by Blackpool-based Tangerine Confectionary, a truckload of free marshmallows is on its way so that the children in the audience will not miss out on the tradition of catching the sweets thrown by panto dame Mark Hudson.

The tasty treats were supposed to be delivered to the theatre on Saturday, but bad weather across the country held up the

delivery.

And with the opening show taking place tonight, the organisers have an anxious day ahead waiting for the boxes of marshmallows to arrive.

Theatre director Stuart Malkovich said that the managers became worried that the theatre's insurance might not cover accidents caused by sweets thrown from the stage.

"It's something of a grey area - there was no straightforward yes or no, but if somebody got hurt, there's a chance they could have sued us. Nobody is going to get hurt by a marshmallow, so it's better to be safe than sorry," he said.

Yarmouth Borough Council has also approved the choice of marshmallows instead

of boiled sweets for the

shows.

Mr Malkovich added: "Our actors can do what they like with marshmallows, and no one will get hurt. They might make a mess of the carpet though; we'll have quite a cleaning bill at the end of the run."

Chris Marshall of Tangerine Confectionary said: "We couldn't believe it when we heard the news. Sweet throwing has always been a big part of the pantomime experience.

"It seemed a great shame that kids had to miss out so,

in the spirit of Christmas,

we were only too happy

to help. We hope no one will object to our marshmallows - they're very soft and surprisingly aerodynamic."