West End crisis 'near'

Andrew Lloyd Webber (left) and Cameron Mackintosh on stage with the cast of musical Cats

Two of the biggest names in British theatre have said that London's West End is "rapidly approaching a crisis" because the area is run down, with too many transport and crime problems.

Sir Cameron Mackintosh and Andrew Lloyd Webber - who produce some of the city's biggest shows - said that ticket sales are already down 10-15% compared to last year.

The pair say traffic congestion, poor public transport and fear of street crime are putting people off visiting the West End.

British theatre could be at "crisis point" in three years if their concerns are not addressed, Sir Cameron said.

London is a run-down, exhausted version of what we had in the 20th century

Sir Cameron Mackintosh

"At the moment it is a run-down version of what we had in the 20th century," he said.

"It is exhausted."

People are increasingly looking elsewhere for their entertainment, he added, with theatre not the only sector affected.

"The theatre is just one very visible public element. They are the problems of a city, not of an industry," he told London's Evening Standard newspaper.

The pair said London should follow the lead of New York, whose theatre industry almost collapsed in the 1970s, but is flourishing now thanks to improved transport and a cut in crime levels.

"While New York has got better and better over the last five years, London has gone in the opposite direction," Sir Cameron said.