STOURBRIDGE Town Hall, Dudley Town Hall and Halesowen Cornbow Hall have been temporarily closed in a bid to tackle the coronavirus crisis.

The venues are closed with immediate effect until the end of June.

Bosses at the venues say work is being taken to reschedule as many shows as possible and ticket holders will be contacted soon.

A statement on the Dudley Borough Halls website reads: "In response to the latest Government guidance - and since the wellbeing of our staff, artists and visitors is of paramount importance - we've taken the difficult decision to close Dudley Town Hall, Stourbridge Town Hall and Halesowen Cornbow Hall with immediate effect up until the end of June.

"We're working as quickly as we can to reschedule as many shows as possible. We'll be in touch with all ticket-holders in due course.

"All original tickets will remain valid for any rescheduled dates, with full refunds available if you're no longer able to attend. Full refunds will be issued to all customers for any events that require outright cancellation."

Comic Josh Widdecombe was due to play at Dudley Town Hall tonight (Thursday, March 19) and Boyzlife, featuring Boyzone and Westlife members Brian McFadden and Keith Duffy, was set to perform at the town centre venue this Saturday.