Wearside MP Sharon Hodgson is to table a motion in the House of Commons after she condemned the "extortionate" prices charged by cinemas.

After a visit to the Cineworld cinema at Boldon Colliery, an Echo reporter clocked up the price of a night out at the movies.

A medium Coke will set film fans back £2.27, compared with 55p in many vending machines. It costs £3.70 for a bag of popcorn and £2.60 for a bag of sweets.

So if a family of four has a Coke each, shares two bags of popcorn and two packets of sweets then they face adding £22.40 to the £17 ticket charge.

In total, a night out at the flicks can cost up to £40.

Ms Hodgson, MP for Washington West and Gateshead East, has slammed the cost of sweets and drinks at many cinemas as "extortionate".

She has also condemned cinemas which remove customers for attempting to eat sweets and drinks bought outside.

Her criticism comes after postman Adam Glennon was approached by a security guard at a cinema in Stockport.

The guard demanded to see what was in his bag. He then ordered the 26-year-old to hand over the contents of sweets and drinks and when he refused he was ordered out of the cinema.

Ms Hodgson has dismissed claims from cinema chiefs that reducing the price of confectionery and drinks would increase ticket prices and has urged the Office of Fair Trading to investigate the cost of cinema confectionery.

Boldon's Cineworld did not wish to comment.