Angry fans demanded to know why singer Amy Winehouse was more than an hour late for a Brighton gig amid claims she was playing pool backstage.

Several readers contacted the Argus to say that security staff at the Brighton Centre had told them the troubled diva was playing the game in her dressing room.

It was claimed the guards told members of the crowd she refused to leave the specially assembled table despite being called to the stage several times.

But the venue said it could not comment on the claims and that the table did not belong to them.

After the Brighton gig Winehouse, 24, called off all gigs and other public appearances for the remainder of 2007, after her doctor advised her to take complete rest.

Winehouse is known to be a keen pool player and shared several games with music producer Mark Ronson while recording her hit single Valerie.

The controversial star did not make it to the stage until 10.15pm and then finished so late that the centre was forced to charge her promoter "substantial" amounts of cash to cover costs of keeping the venue open later and staff working longer.

Brighton Centre manager Penny Parker said: "This is the first I have heard about a pool table.

"But there was a lot of activity behind the scenes to push things along.

"Everybody at the venue was doing all they could to speed up the process as none of us wants the punters to suffer or things to be delayed.

"But she has got her own demons - it is part of her make-up I suppose.

"I actually thought she was very good when she got going."

When Amy Winehouse finally did stroll out onto the stage at 10.15pm many felt she might as well as not have bothered and one fan went so far as to say she had ruined his Christmas.

Tony Morris, 64, of Fourth Avenue, Hove said that as he was working through the festive season he had brought the party forward and paid more than £200 for himself and his family to go to the concert.

The theatre technician at The Royal Sussex County Hospital said the lacklustre performance had ruined the celebration for him and his son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren - who had travelled down from Yorkshire.

He said even though he was aware his favourite star was having "problems" with drink and drugs he did not anticipate it could be as bad as it was.

Mr Morris said: "It was absolute rubbish even when she did get onto the stage.

"Every time she started a song she drank, then half-way through she drank again. She kept wandering on and off the stage and it was as if she couldn't be bothered to be there.

"No-one was bopping, people were booing and when I looked around half-way through lots of people had left.

"I have been following all the news reports on a daily basis but could not have imagined it could have been as bad as this. She just isn't interested anymore."

But as with any artistic performance viewpoints were subjective and some messages left on The Argus website offered a different view. One concert-goer said: "Yes, people around me upstairs left early, and I was p**sed off that she was actually 75 minutes late, but when she got going, she was very good."

Another countered: "I don't know what gig the previous comments relate to, but she looked lost on the stage, she kept forgetting words and at some points was completely out of time with the band."

The tormented star seemed sleepless after the gig and was seen dashing from hotel to hotel in Brighton. She headed to the Hilton Hotel after the gig where she stayed until around 3.30am then was seen dashing to the Grand Hotel along the road. She was later seen returning to the Hilton, before getting a taxi to Tesco to buy some magazines and then heading back to London.

To find out what our reviewer thought of Amy's performance, go to this website's music reviews section.