FURTHER complaints have been received from disabled people who claim they were treated like second-class citizens at Bournemouth's Pavilion Theatre.

After the Echo reported how a disabled woman was knocked unconscious at a recent Overtones concert, several other audience members said they were also forced to leave the concert early.

The Overtones encouraged the audience to dance from the start of the concert, and this led to Angela Charlton, who was in a mobility scooter, receiving a knock to the head and suffering mild concussion.

Ann Munro, who was also at the concert with her husband, said they too saw none of the concert because their view was blocked by dancing fans. After four songs, the couple left in disgust.

She said they complained but were told there was nothing unusual in the audience being encouraged to stand and dance.

"One thing my husband and I did notice on the night was that there was a lot of other people complaining but no-one seemed to care," she said. "We have gone to the Pavilion to shows for over 40 years but we won't be going anymore due to the way we've been dealt with and the service given.

"We paid over £80 for our tickets in good faith to sit and watch the show."

Another fan, Julia Blake, from Birmingham, said she and her disabled mother also complained that they had felt very unsafe when the audience were standing around them. She said Pavilion management showed her a disclaimer on the back of the ticket that warns people may stand.

"My mother was very upset and disappointed by the way she and other disabled guests had been treated that evening," she said.

Pat Coyne, BH Live Director of Venues, apologised to all those affected and pledged to make improvements. He said: “We have reviewed the evening, along with feedback from customers, and recognise that sometimes things don’t always go as well as anticipated and improvements can be made.

"Live performance encourages audience interaction and, if customers wish to stand up and enjoy themselves at the request of the artists, we recognise we have a duty of care to make sure all customers still have a good time.

"We are sorry for any distress caused on this particular evening and must now learn from this experience to make sure all customers have a good time while in our venues.

"I will be working with the Pavilion management team to ensure that those with additional needs have a better experience in the future and we will be linking in with customer groups to identify how we can meet the seating needs for those with additional requirements, within the constraints of a Grade two listed theatre."