BBC South East anchor man Laurie Mayer has quit suddenly. It is understood that he walked out of the Tunbridge Wells studios on Wednesday night just minutes before he was due to go on air.

The BBC confirmed that Mr Mayer had left but declined to reveal what had triggered the shock move. However, industry sources suggest it followed a row over the possible non-renewal of contract.

The BBC recently dropped the single anchor format for its 6.30pm flagship show, teaming Mr Mayer with former health correspondent Beverly Thompson.

In a prepared statement, a BBC spokesman said: “We wish him well for the future and would like to thank him for his contributions to BBC South East Today. He has helped to get the programme off to a cracking start and we have been grateful for his experience during the launch and our initial nine months on air.

“We will be seeking to make an announcement about a new co-presenter for Beverly Thompson as soon as possible.”

Sources said they believed that Mr Mayer had been unhappy for some time about the way the studio was being run.

Meanwhile, Giles Dilnot will fill Mr Mayer’s spot until a permanent replacement is found.