NIGEL Evans said he was impressed with the redevoped Millennium Dome after a visit.

The Conservative MP for the Ribble Valley took a trip to the O2 Arena and believes it will be a great entertainment venue.

He said: "When the Dome initially opened I was opposed to the development because of the prohibitive cost to anyone other than people from London given the ridiculous entry price and the obscene initial outlay, running to almost a billion, which could easily have been better spent.

"Now that there is a huge amount of free enter-tainment, people from the North West, the rest of the UK and all over the world for matter, can more easily enjoy what the Dome has to offer."

The arena has a theatre and 11 cinema screens including one which seats 700 people and is the second largest screen in Europe.