No charges to be brought against Apollo Theatre owners

There will be no prosecution against Nimax Theatres over the collapse of the ceiling at the Apollo Theatre last December, Westminster City Council has ruled.

The incident, which occurred during a performance of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time on 19 December 2013, resulted in injuries to 88 people after plaster fell from the roof.

Nickie Aiken, of Westminster Council, said: "This has been one of the most thorough investigations of its type, and our main aim now is to ensure that an accident like the one at the Apollo never happens again.

"The accident last year must have been a frightening experience for those people who were involved, and we really appreciate a number of them coming forward during the investigation. We hope that the conclusion of our investigation will bring some closure to the events of that day."

The council ruled in March that ancient building materials were the "principal cause" of the incident, and issued a letter to all major West End theatre owners warning them to replace similar materials.

Nica Burns, chief executive of Nimax, which owns the theatre, responded: "I welcome the conclusion of the Westminster investigation, which confirms it was a terrible accident. Not a day has passed where I do not think about every single audience member, the cast and staff present on that December evening."