Hundreds of ticket holders had to be turned away from a performance of the Marlowe Theatre pantomime on Tuesday evening.

Peter Pan, at the Marlowe Theatre Arena in Kingsmead, was cancelled over safety concerns after a diesel spillage from an outside heater.

The capacity audience of more than 1,000 were told about the show's cancellation on arrival and have been offered tickets for another night's performance and a free drink.

Wednesday's matinee and evening performances were cancelled, despite the best efforts of production staff to try and clear the damage and relay the arena floor.

Performances at 10.30am and 2pm on Thursday, December 10 have also been cancelled.

The show, which stars comedian Ade Edmondson as Captain Hook (pictured above), opened on Saturday and runs until Sunday, January 17.

Read more reaction in this week's Kentish Gazette, out Thursday.