Saharan temperatures at the Orchard Theatre are soon to be a thing of the past with work to install a new air conditioning system due to start this month.

Dartford council has released £180,000 for refurbishments at the theatre, which will also go towards upgrading customer toilets.

The work follows a separate improvement programme last year, which saw the installation of new seating, kiosks and a refurbished foyer.

Jeremy Kite, leader of the council, said: “The Orchard Theatre lies at the heart of Dartford’s cultural life and we’re enormously proud of the way Chris [Glover, the theatre director,] and his team have taken its reputation to new heights.

“Theatregoers love The Orchard but have asked for a cooler auditorium and I’m delighted to confirm this work will now go ahead. It’s great to be able to help Chris and his team offer theatregoers an even better experience.”

Although attracting some top class shows – one of the latest was The Moscow Ballet performing Swan Lake – the venue had previously been criticised by customers as being “hotter than the sun”, according to reviews on TripAdvisor, where it is rated as the best attraction in Dartford.

One visitor should be glad to hear of the improvements after the scathing review she left on the website in January after a performance of Annie Get Your Gun. DartfordLynn said: “Just got home from “Annie get your Gun”, which was great.

“However, despite all the updating that took place at The Orchard last year, the ladies loos remain a disgrace.

“Out of four cubicles, one was out of order and none of the others flushed between users. One of the two hand driers wouldn’t work. As a result, the queues went right the way down the staircase.”