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AMATEUR panto actors have been ordered to register their plastic swords with the police to stop them being prosecuted for carrying a weapon in a public place.

Jane Steadman, director of Urchfont Players' panto, Treasure Island, was astonished to receive a memorandum from the National Operatic and Dramatic Association.

The letter said anyone handling a weapon, whether it is real or not, could be committing an offence by merely carrying it on stage.

It said the company must inform police it is using weapons in the production and make sure they are securely locked up between performances.

It added that the producer must decide whether the use of weapons in the play is absolutely essential and, if so, to take precautions to make sure that they do not get into the wrong hands and that no-one is put in danger.

NODA's letter said: "It is illegal to have any edged or pointed weapon in a public place, and most people would say that a theatre is a public place. The person who will be prosecuted is the person actually handling the weapon."

The association said the difficulty arises because the Violent Crime Reduction Act of 2006, which came into law last September, incorporates guns and edged weapons in the same piece of legislation.

Chief executive Tony Gibbs said: "It is now illegal to have anything with the external appearance of a gun or a weapon in a public place. However, there is an exemption for theatres.

"All weapons, guns, swords and spears now have to be locked up and someone identified as a guardian.

"Individuals are free to use them in a theatrical performance."

Mrs Steadman said: "This is just ridiculous. What is this country coming to? Amateur groups have been putting on shows with dummy weapons and I haven't heard of anyone being killed or seriously hurt. "It is health and safety gone mad. I have written to the police to inform them we are using dummy swords and a toy gun in the show."

She wrote: "It is with a sense of disbelief that I find I have to persuade you that the weapons that will be used by the adult actors are essential to the plot.

"Being pirates and scallywags, I believe they are, but as the weapons are of the plastic children's variety, I do not think they would cause much damage to life or limb."

The task of keeping the weapons safe between shows has fallen to Ian McCutch-eon, a civilian member of staff at police divisional HQ in Melksham, who is playing the Dame, Sally Forth, in Treasure Island.

9:31am Thursday 24th January 2008

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