TWELVE tons of ice have turned York's Grand Opera House into an ice rink for a visit by the Russian Ice Stars.

The company were performing the Nutcracker on Ice today, and will follow that with Sensational Ice, a medley of highlights from earlier shows, tomorrow and on Saturday.

But the crew first had to put in two days of work to transform the theatre auditorium.

Four tons of crushed ice were used to create the rink, before it was sprayed with water every half-hour for 24 hours. The ice is now four inches thick and weighs 12 tons. Four miles of piping underneath keeps the temperature at minus 15 degrees.

The company's skaters have won 285 competition medals between them, as well as an Olympic gold medal in gymnastics for newcomer Ioulia Barsoukova.

Updated: 10:23 Thursday, April 24, 2003