A CONCERT organiser is angry after his charity show at a community-run venue was cancelled over health and safety fears.

The Lido Nights Christmas Special was due to run this Saturday at Saltdean Lido but the organiser claims he was given 12 days’ notice of cancellation.

The Saltdean Community Association (SCA) pulled the plug following concerns over the state of fire escapes and lighting serving the venue’s ballroom.

Chris Nieto, 52, who was putting on the night, said: “We are devastated. There’s nothing wrong with the health and safety of that place.

“It's so upsetting for everyone involved.”

Mr Nieto said he felt his efforts to make the show happen fell on deaf ears.

This year’s event, with 200 tickets available at £12 each, had apparently shifted 150 already, according to Mr Nieto.

The gig was supposed to see rock ’n’ roll band Micky Hart And The Hartbreakers, The Brighton School of Singing Christmas Choir and Beyond The Moon, a local pop-rock girl band, as well as Mr Nieto’s own band, country rockers The Diablos.

Mr Nieto added: “This would have been our fifth Christmas Show and our last .”

He said the event last year raised £1,200 for The Martlets hospice in Hove and St Barnabas Hospice in Worthing, with the Martlets due to have benefitted this year.

In response, Cathy Gallagher, chairwoman of the trustees of the SCA, told The Argus the cancellation was “nothing personal”.

She said: “We certainly didn’t take this decision lightly. There’s absolutely nothing personal about it.

“We recognise from the sale of the bar we could have expected £500, which we didn’t think outweighed the risk.”

Mrs Gallagher said there were various safety issues, including how quickly the building could be evacuated if there was a fire.

She added: “It’s a very old building. We tried for the first week of our tenure to make it happen and every time we solved an issue, more came up.

“We have been elected as trustees and take our responsibilities very seriously.

“The trustees didn’t feel we could give the go-ahead.”

To offset the disappointment, The Diablos and Micky Hart And The Hartbreakers are playing a free gig at the White Horse in Rottingdean on Saturday, from 9pm until 11pm.

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