ELDERLY residents in two sheltered housing schemes will shortly restart their monthly film afternoons after intervention by the Lancashire Telegraph.

Pensioners in Showley Court in Salesbury and Vale House in Whalley were deprived of the much-loved event over confusion over the latest interpretation of regulations governing the communal showing of DVDs of movies.

Last month the Telegraph and Ribble Vally MP Nigel Evans took up the issue with David Taylor , managing director of the Motion Picture Licensing Company Ltd, responsible for the copyright of films.

He confirmed there was no need for the pensioners or the operators of the two schemes at Onward Housing to buy an expensive licence to screen films provided the showings were organised by the residents with no input from staff.

Now after its lawyers confirmed the details of the legal position with Mr Taylor, a spokeswoman for Onward Homes said: “Having sought clarification from the MPLC, the film afternoons at Showley Court and Vale House will continue.”

Mrs Peggy Sherbourne, 79, who ran the film afternoons at Showley Court said she and Mrs Janet Parker, 79, who organised the Vale House equivalents, were all set to restart the showings.

She said: "We will be restarting the film afternoons again shortly. thanks to the Lancashire Telegraph. We have plans in place."

Mr Evans, who is to call on government ministers to confirm in Parliament the exemption of resident -organised film events in sheltered housing developments from the new for a non-theatrical film licence. said: “I am pleased."