Southbank Centre shuts all its venues

The arts complex said in a statement: "Following the latest advice from the Government, it is with much regret that Southbank Centre has taken the decision to close all of its venues with immediate effect.

"The health and wellbeing of our staff, artists and visitors is our top priority and given the latest medical and scientific recommendations that people should avoid large social gatherings, we have made the very difficult decision to take this action in order to play our part in stopping the spread of the virus.

"The impact of this decision on those talented people who come from around the world to perform on our stages, as well as our hard-working staff who help to run our magnificent venues – and the many millions of people who come to enjoy what we present each year – is immense.

"As a charity, we will be working hard to find ways to survive the financial implications that a period of closure will have on our organisation – including the freelance artists and partners we work with. We want to do everything we can to support the wider arts sector as we all deal with this unprecedented situation.

"Details of how to request a credit note or a refund for any cancelled performances during our closure period can be found on our website.

"We are very sorry that we have to close our doors. We believe that access to Art, Music and Creativity can be a tonic for us all and we will be trying hard to find ways of working with our artists to keep that idea alive even though our venues are closed.

Our thoughts are with everyone who is being affected by this situation and we pass on our very best wishes to all of you and your loved ones.

"We look forward to welcoming you back. Soon, we hope."