FILM fans visiting Hereford’s Odeon are paying almost £2 more for their tickets than those visiting the cinema chain in nearby cities.

An adult visiting the city’s picture house on Commercial Road during peak hours will find themselves paying out £8.80, or if they pre-book a ticket online £9.30.

In Bristol’s Odeon cinema, however, the cost is just £7.10, or £7.60 online.

Meanwhile, in Birmingham the ticket would cost £7.25 if you paid in the cinema, or £7.75 if you booked on the internet.

A family ticket at Hereford – for one adult and three children, or two adults and two children – is £27.40 but this can be as high as £37.80 to watch in 3D, after glasses have been bought.

Yet in Cardiff, a family ticket during peak time costs just £22.80, and £34.10 for a 3D viewing.

The news is not much better for senior citizens. Those aged over 60 pay £4.20 in Birmingham and £6.10 in Hereford.

But while cinemas elsewhere boast multi-screen facilities – Birmingham New Street has eight as well as premier seating options – Hereford has only one screen yet still remains the most expensive.

Tickets at Worcester’s Odeon, for example, are on average 20p less than in Hereford to see the same film.

Odeon bosses have defended the prices, however, and say that ticket charges are competitive in each individual market place, and not set nationwide.

A spokesman for Odeon said: “Odeon regularly undergoes price reviews across its portfolio and is continually working to maintain an enjoyable guest experience through investment in the quality of service and facilities available.”

Odeon also confirmed prices for the new proposed cinema – which will be part of Hereford’s Old Market development – have not yet been set but will be provided “as soon as possible.”