A theatre has been forced to cancel a matinee performance of its pantomime because of Covid within the cast.

The team behind Robin Hood at The Woodville theatre in Gravesend made the announcement this morning about its 1pm show.

A social media statement said: "Sadly due to cast illness we are having to rehearse new cast members into the show to ensure the best experience for our patrons, which means that our 1pm performance is cancelled today but the 5pm will go ahead.

"We have measures in place to try to prevent the spread of any illness, including Covid-19.

"We have done our best to contact everyone that has tickets booked for this performance to offer them an alternative performance time or a refund.

"We are really sorry for any inconvenience that this has caused.

"Our cast test regularly and we are hopeful that no further performances will be affected."

A spokesman said testing will continue among the cast and crew.

Last night, a performance of Beauty and the Beast at The Central Theatre in Chatham was cancelled after a number of positive Covid tests.

To read our review of Robin Hood, click here.