UK heatwave: Lightning cancels Tom Jones York comeback gig

Sir Tom cancelled a series of concerts due to his recent illness

Lightning strikes have forced Sir Tom Jones to cancel his comeback concert in York.

The 78-year-old star had been due to return to performing on Friday, with a show at York Racecourse after a series of cancelled concerts due to illness.

York Racecourse apologised and said it took the decision to cancel "given the atrocious weather conditions".

Singer James Arthur also had to cancel his open-air gig in Scarborough on Thursday because of lightning.

Sir Tom pulled out of five shows this month after a bacterial infection, for which he was admitted to hospital.

York Racecourse said it "shares the disappointment of the thousands of fans" for the last-minute cancellation and offered a "50% refund".

'Absolutely shocking'

Fans took to social media to voice their frustrations over the cancellation and "poor" repayment offer.

Jon Kilgallon said it was "absolutely shocking" after travelling to York for the concert from Newcastle.

Laura Davies said she was "so annoyed".

Michael Gazda responded to the venue's announcement by asking: "What thunder storm?"

While Carly Fooks tweeted she had to endure Friday's rail chaos to reach York "to see Tom".

Other fans decided to make light of the situation.

Denis tweeted: "Certainly not a Sunny Afternoon, that's for sure".

In a statement, York Racecourse said: "As anyone at the track on Friday evening will know, the weather closed in, with a series of storms hitting the course. More significantly similar storms blocked the route of both helicopters and fixed wing aircraft between his London home and Yorkshire.

"York Racecourse and Sir Tom wish to apologise to his fans for this disappointment and understand the inconvenience caused.

"The race meeting itself went ahead with six races completed."

The venue outlined how customers could receive their "50% refund" and asked them for their "patience" saying it was "uncharted territory, it is difficult to set a timescale for this process however it will be a priority".

The Grammy and Brit award-winning star - a judge on The Voice UK TV show - was forced to pull out of shows at Stansted Park near Portsmouth, Chester Racecourse and Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire, as well as a show in Germany and Finland.