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Hartlepool’s first and only escape room is now open for business and offers themed experiences for people of all ages.

Get Out, in 8 Church Street, features secret panels, moving walls and high-quality props where players have just 60 minutes to solve the mystery and escape.

Teams of two to six people will be given a series of puzzles and challenges to escape the room, with successful escapees earning a place on the leader board.

Speaking about opening his first business, owner Alex Matthews said: “It’s quite exciting but also quite daunting. It’s a brand new business and people still do not know what it is.”

Alex Mathews and fiancee Rachel outside their Get Out Escape Rooms in Church Street, Hartlepool.

Alex and his fiance Rachel Wates regularly travel out of town to complete escape rooms and have been to around 30 to 40 together.

He said: “I’m sick of having to travel out of town to do anything fun.”

Alex added that Hartlepool does not offer enough activities for people to do and that something needs to change.

This is Alex and Rachel’s first business venture and they are looking forward to introducing a new experience that everyone can enjoy.

One of the escape rooms in Get Out Escape Rooms in Church Street, Hartlepool.

This escape room is initially offering players two different experiences called Legend and The Break In.

Legend is based on the town’s own history, where players must save the legendary Hartlepool monkey before it is hanged.

In The Break In, meanwhile, players will find themselves trapped in a mansion with a vault holding a priceless diamond.

Proposals for the escape room were first submitted to the Hartlepool Borough Council planning department at the end of 2021 and were approved in February 2022.

Alex Mathews in one of the escape rooms in the Get Out Escape Rooms in Church Street, Hartlepool.

The proposals said: “These escape rooms will greatly add to the mix of businesses Hartlepool Borough Council are looking to encourage.”

Although 8 and 9 Church Street were once separate buildings, they have been made into one single unit by providing access through the party walls at every level.Get Out is open from 10am to 10pm Monday to Sunday and is suitable for all ages.

Children under 12, however, may need a “few extra hints along the way”.

Bookings can now be made at https://www.getouthartlepool.com/bookings.

See inside Hartlepool's first escape room as it opens for business