THEATRE-goers in Colchester were turned away from an evening performance after an actor was held up in traffic.

A member of the cast of The Hired Man at the Mercury Theatre was caught up in the closure of the M25 following a fatal road accident on Tuesday.

The incident involving four lorries and six cars led to the motorway being closed from 12.30pm until 9pm.

Bosses at the theatre delayed the start time to 8pm while the director tried and find a solution to allow the performance to carry on.

However, they said because of the complexity of the musical harmonies it would have proved to complicated and the performance was cancelled.

Audience members were offered seats for future performances or a full refund.

Theresa Veith, executive director of the Mercury Theatre, said: “This was obviously disappointing for audiences who arrived for the performance but they were very understanding and many have contacted the theatre to comment on how well the situation was handled.

“This was a very difficult night for the theatre but our thoughts are with the families of the bereaved and those seriously injured in the accident.”