BLACKBURN Ice Arena is enjoying a boom thanks to television talent show Dancing On Ice.

Up to 30 per cent more customers have been visiting the Grimshaw Park venue since the series began -- and on some occasions staff have had to turn people away

And the arena has been given the seal of approval by one of the 10 celebrity contestants, Sean Wilson, aka Coronation Street's Martin Platt, who has been using the venue to train.

Dancing On Ice has been aired on ITV 1 for the past two Saturdays and the first series has a while to run.

But staff at the arena are already keeping their fingers crossed that television executives will give the go ahead to a second series to ensure the momentum is maintained.

The show is said to be making skating fashionable again in the same way that Strictly Come Dancing did for ballroom dancing.

A spokesman for the arena said: "There has been a significant difference in attendance levels since the programme was first broadcast, especially in the number of families coming at weekends and people inquiring about lessons.

"In fact, it has got so busy that at certain points staff had to turn people away because they had run out of skates.

"We would very much like to see series two!"

Competing against Sean are former England footballer David Seaman, West End star John Barrowman, Olympic hero Kelly Holmes, former child star Bonnie Langford, GMTV weathergirl Andrea McLean, Fat Friends star Gaynor Faye and the Bill's Stefan Booth.

Each week the celebrity who receives the fewest votes from the public is voted off the show.

Already presenter Andi Peters and 'it' girl Tamara Beckwith have gone.

The celebrities have been paired up with professional skaters and have to learn new choreography each week for Saturday's show.