The Alban Arena in St Albans, which has been closed since mid-December, will remain mothballed while the council deals with an "asbestos situation".

Residents are "disappointed" to miss out on shows which were due to go ahead and some theatre-goers have had their show cancelled three times.

A spokesperson for the Alban Arena said: “The Alban Arena will unfortunately remain closed for the month of March while St Albans District Council (SADC) continues to rectify urgent repairs within the auditorium.

"W are liaising with producers to re-arrange shows due to run during this period.

“We're incredibly disappointed that these shows are unable to go ahead due to these unforeseen circumstances.

"Please be patient with us as we continue to manage the COVID impact and more recently the enforced building closure.

“We are appreciative of your support in what is an extremely challenging time for the venue team.

"Once a show has a rescheduled date, we will be contacting all ticket holders via email & phone.

“Thank you so much for your patience.”

SADC confirmed the Arena will re-open as soon as possible, but an exact date is unknown.

A spokesperson said: “Significant works are needed to the affected area, which is in a hard to get at spot.

“The focus of the works we are doing is to the stage area where there is asbestos insulation that has been disturbed.

The location of the affected asbestos means a scaffold is required and we will need to encapsulate the area with air handling and specialist equipment.”