Peter Kay's huge gig at Manchester's new Co-op Live arena tomorrow night has been cancelled with just over 24 hours notice.

The comedian's second show at the venue on Wednesday evening has also been pulled. Set to have been a showpiece opening for the city's flagship new venue, with its 23,500-capacity making it the largest indoor entertainment spot in the UK, it was announced today that both shows have been postponed because work on the Eastlands venue is incomplete.

The council's building control is also yet to sign the building off, following a test event on Saturday with Rick Astley, in which some punters had their tickets cancelled just hours before the show.

A spokesperson for Co-op Live said: "Following our first test event on Saturday, regretfully we have made the difficult decision to reschedule our two opening performances by Peter Kay. These dates will move from Tuesday 23rd April and Wednesday 24th to Monday 29th and Tuesday 30th April.

"It is critical to ensure we have a consistent total power supply to our fully electric sustainable venue, the completion of which is a few days behind. Rescheduling gives us the extra time we need to continue testing thoroughly. This is vital to satisfy the rigorous set of guidelines and protocols that are necessary for a venue of this size.

"Peter Kay has very graciously agreed to perform his record-breaking comedy at Co-op Live on 29 (rescheduled from 23) and 30 (rescheduled from 24) April 2024.

"All tickets remain valid and ticket holders will be contacted by their point of purchase. Refunds will be available for those who can no longer attend. We are very sorry for the inconvenience that this change will undoubtedly cause for some.

"We are thrilled to welcome Peter Kay as our grand opening act just a few days later than planned."

Kay said: "I'm truly gutted as I know how disappointing this will be for everyone with tickets, but obviously it's a brand-new venue and it's important that everything is finished and safe for full capacity audiences."

"Fortunately, we've been able to reschedule the shows to next week, (I'll have to miss my Bums & Tums class) but hopefully I'll see you then."

The delay comes after problems with power at the site, which are believed to have affected the fire safety and emergency services communication systems, led to bosses slashing attendance from around 11,000 to 4,000 at Saturday night's test event, less than two hours before it was due to start.