Tom Jones apologies to fans over cancelled York concert

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

Sir Tom Jones has apologised to fans after lightning strikes meant his comeback concert in York was cancelled at the last minute.

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.

He tweeted: "So disappointed about York last night and so sorry for you all."

York Racecourse said the decision was taken after it proved "impossible to get Sir Tom to the racecourse".

Thousands of fans were left disappointed and angry that the cancellation was not announced until Sir Tom was due to go onstage.

In its statement, the racecourse said: "We hope people understand that travel arrangements for any artist are the responsibility of that artist and their management, the concert and its timings were all agreed well in advance."

It said the first time the management team were made aware of concern's over the singer's arrival was at 19:12 BST.

It continued: "The disappointing announcement was made over the public address and CCTV system at 8.16pm.

"In the intervening hour, Sir Tom's team continued to explore all possible methods of getting him to York, with the singer in a vehicle trying each of Battersea Heliport, Luton and Stansted airfields, ultimately to no avail."

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

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

The Grammy and Brit award-winning star 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.