A FURIOUS line dance teacher and her pupils have been given the boot from a school hall - because they are ruining the shiny floor!

More than 50 country music dancers have been left reeling, claiming the headmistress at Edgworth Primary School cracked the whip and banned them without any warning.

Amazed country dancing teacher Dorothy Ilaria claims the headteacher told her that the dancing was spoiling the special surface used for sports by the school children.

Dorothy, a full-time teacher who runs classes throughout Blackburn, said: "We were apparently taking the shine off the sports floor.

"We were given no notice. The headmistress just said that we were ruining her hall floor and that we couldn't dance there any more!"

The line dancing had been held at the school since January, catering for dancers aged between seven and 70.

Now Dorothy is appealing for the use of another large hall in Edgworth in a bid to save the class. Dorothy from Darwen said:"I've been teaching professionally for three years and have never come across this problem before.

"I can't understand why we are ruining the floor. The floor isn't made of wood but of a protective, special sports surface. We don't cause any damage whatsoever.

"But, apparently, the headteacher claims the floor is now no longer shiny enough."

Dorothy remains puzzled as to why a keep fit class held in the same hall every Monday has been allowed to continue.

"It is a shame because the class is used by many pensioners. It is their only bit of social life and is getting them fit at the same time.

The dancers are now writing to the headteacher and the education authority demanding answers.

"We are prepared to pay towards the cost of buffing the sports hall floor if that is the only problem," Dorothy added.

The school's chairman of governors, the Rev John Butterfield, said the dancers were wearing "hard shoes" on a floor that isn't made for such a use.

He said: "The school hasn't got the money to repair the floor if it gets ruined, so we had to stop the dancing."

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