Suffolk murders play angers Tania Nicol's mother

Tania Nicol's body was found in Copdock near Ipswich

The mother of one of the five women murdered by Steve Wright says she is angry about a new theatre production about the 2006 Suffolk murders.

London Road is due to open at the National Theatre in London in April.

Kerry Nicol's 19-year-old daughter Tania was the first victim of Wright, who was jailed for life in 2008.

"The whole play just seems pointless," said Miss Nicol. "What will it achieve and who is going to watch it? What is the purpose of it?"

The bodies of Tania Nicol, Gemma Adams, Anneli Alderton, Paula Clennell and Annette Nicholls were found over a 10-day period near Ipswich in 2006.

Miss Nicol said she was disappointed the families of the victims were not consulted about the theatre production.

"I'm very annoyed that they didn't even have the decency to contact me in the first place and ask," she said.

Community spirit

"You try and get your life to move forward and then go a few steps back because it's brought up into the public eye again."

Playwright Alecky Blythe said London Road does not focus on the girls' lives or the murders.

Wright has been told he will spend the rest of his life in jail for the murders

"It's really about the community and how the community has pulled together fantastically, almost a sort of Blitz spirit," she said.

"They have tried to take something positive out of the tragedies that happened.

"Hopefully when people come and see that they will see the reason for doing it and hopefully that controversy will be put aside."

Ipswich MP Ben Gummer said it was too soon for the events to be made into a play.

He said: "It's a pretty sick-making feeling to make a musical, or musical documentary, out of something which I think most people in Ipswich would like to be left alone.

"There's always a time and a place for artists to look at difficult and tragic issues but sometimes that is decades or hundreds of years after the event.

"You have to ask the question why is this happening? Is it for the healing process, for the families, for the community, or is it for the entertainment of the London theatre-going public.

"I think in answering that question you get closer to whether it should happen or not."