A landlord is concerned the closure of a theatre could be “the nail in the coffin” for his pub.

Paul Lynskey fears the worst for The Stage Door in Dartford which he says will see business slow due to the Orchard Theatre being forced to close down.

The closure comes after reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) was discovered in the roof of the venue.

The doors of the theatre shut on Tuesday, September 5 after an inspection of the Dartford council-owned building on Monday, September 4.

Trafalgar Entertainment, which oversees the running of the theatre, has since confirmed the performances will be postponed until at least the end of September.

Mr Lynskey said he was now expecting “a hard month”.

He said: “We expected it to be a good month but now it’s going to be a hard month, especially considering the cost of living crisis.

“I am worried this will be the final nail in the coffin for my business.”

Performers have also had to cancel shows due to the closure.

Among those due on stage were Jimmy Carr, who was due to appear on Friday, an evening with Harry Redknapp on September 24 and Babatunde Aleshe on September 30.

Customers could still buy tickets to Jimmy Carr’s show moments before the announcement was made.

Country Superstars, a Dolly Parton tribute act, have lost thousands of pounds after their theatre show was cancelled.

Sarah Jayne has been portraying the country music star for 29 years and was due to entertain a crowd of 600 once again yesterday (September 6).

“As you can imagine, we were very disappointed,” said Mrs Jayne, originally from Medway.

“Financially, it’s a huge hit,

“We had people coming down from all over the county to help with the show and I had to give them the bad news that the show is being cancelled without pay.

“We’re going to lose thousands, and so will the theatre.”

As well as performing as Dolly Parton, the Ashford resident also produces the show along with her husband - and Kenny Rogers impersonator - Andy Crust.

This comes after the Department for Education confirmed 156 schools across the country had to close after ceilings built with concrete had collapsed seeing other government-owned buildings being checked.

Council leader Cllr Jeremy Kite (Con) said the problem could end up seeing the entire roof having to be removed and the closure remaining in place beyond October.

“The gap we have at the moment is to allow the consultants to do further investigations. It’s not the end of it. What they have got to do is come up with a formulated solution.

“That solution could be partial repairs or removing the whole roof. Frankly, I think that could be a very big possibility.”

Cllr Kite said despite the “blow” the closure has caused the building will be put “right”.

He said: “It’s not the news that anyone wants to hear but there is nothing more important than the safety of the audiences, staff, artists, volunteers and everyone at the venue.

“This problem was embedded in the building at the time of its construction in 1983 and it is one of thousands of buildings built using this construction method.

“Although any closure is a blow, we are in the fortunate position to have the resources and determination to put the building right and reopen it for the benefit of residents.

“Both Dartford Borough Council and Trafalgar Theatres are committed to making the necessary adaptations required as soon as possible to allow performances to recommence.”