DISAPPOINTED dancers from Clacton were left in the lurch as a festival was axed at the last minute.

Talented young performers from Clacton’s Smooth Grooves Dance School practised for months to dazzle crowds at the I Am Music festival in Colchester.

But the festival was scrapped just 36 hours before it was due to take place in Castle Park last weekend.

The event was meant to raise money for Clacton charity Only Cowards Carry, and the dancers even had costumes made bearing the charity’s logo.

But the dismayed dancers were still given the chance to show off their skills over the weekend.

They performed their new routines for crowds of people on Clacton Pier as part of a special celebration of its 143rd birthday on Sunday.

Smooth Grooves principal Toni Reed said: “Despite the fact that they were extremely upset about the festival being cancelled, they still got up there and smashed it with their routines and they looked amazing.”