It's as much a part of the cinema experience as queuing, back-row snogging and novelty mobile phone ring tones. But, believe it or not, popcorn is being banned at cinemas across the country due to moaning film fans who “hate” its distracting noise and mess.

Everyman cinemas have moved to rid the traditional treat from all their 18 venues, while Picturehouse Cinemas, a chain of 19 across the country, will embark on a popcorn-free trial next month.

Daniel Broch, proprietor of the Everyman in Hampstead, north west London, said the move comes after he discovered too much of the sweet or salty snack trodden into his carpets.

He said: "I will de-popcorn every new venue I acquire.

"It has a disproportionate influence on the space in terms of its overwhelming smell, the cultural idea of it and the operational problems created by the mess it produces."

Meanwhile, Gabriel Swartland, Picturehouse spokesperson, said: "Popcorn is a contentious issue. Lots of people absolutely hate it and have asked us to ban it, so we're going to do exactly that."If it's a success, and I've no reason to suspect it won't be, we'll roll it out across all our cinemas and make it a permanent fixture."