Image copyright Holly Turner

Rock band The Vaccines were forced to abandon a Blackburn concert mid-show over fears a collapsing barrier could "seriously injure" fans.

Fans said the barrier collapsed twice during the concert at King George's Hall on Monday night.

The band said they were "angry" but feared fans could have been "seriously hurt" if they had continued.

The concert was stopped at 22:10 GMT for "health and safety concerns" due to a crack in the security barrier.

There were 2,000 fans at the gig which ended 20 minutes early after the group were on stage for an hour.

Holly Turner, 18, said: "I was second from the front then suddenly the barrier went and everyone stumbled forward.

"They tried to fix it but then it happened again.

"A security guy came on stage and said we're going to have to cancel the gig due to safety reasons but we hope to reschedule.

"The band were amazing - I really hope they get the chance to come back and play again."

Another fan, Gabriel John, said: "I can't believe it - the gig was amazing and then they had to stop it."

Blackburn with Darwen Council, which owns the venue, has apologised to fans.

Martin Eden, director of environment and operations, said a technician tried to repair the barrier but the concert was ended "in the interests of health and safety".

The London-based band said in a Twitter statement: "The decision to stop the show was not not ours, but the safety barrier in the venue kept collapsing and if we had continued people would undoubtedly have been seriously hurt."

They praised their fans in Blackburn as "amazing" and urged them to keep hold of their tickets.

"We will reschedule the show and finish what we started together ASAP," the statement added.

The band were formed in 2010 in west London and have played Glastonbury, Leeds and Reading festivals.

They are currently touring the UK with gigs planned for Newcastle, Motherwell, Cardiff and Exeter in the coming days.