London’s O2 Arena to reopen after Storm Eunice damage

London’s O2 Arena is set to reopen on Friday after it was damaged by Storm Eunice.

Sections of the fabric roof of the venue, formerly known as the Millennium Dome, were shredded due to the strong winds last Friday.

In a statement the arena said it had carried out rigorous safety checks and deemed the venue "safe, secure and structurally sound".

UB40 are set to perform on Friday night.

Former UB40 member Ali Campbell said he planned to "tear the roof off" the arena again as he returns to the stage in memory of his late bandmate Astro later.

The 63 -year-old said: "I’m not the most talkative person on stage, I concentrate on singing, and Astro was always the mouthpiece.

“He would introduce the songs and, of course, I have got to do all that now.

"We are going to miss him terribly. I know he would have wanted the show to go on and that’s what we did."

A number of concerts including Simply Red, rapper Dave and The Lumineers have been rescheduled.

In a statement, the arena said the hole in the fabric would remain visible for some time while a permanent solution was put in place.

Steve Sayer, vice president and general manager of the O2, said: "Confirming our reopening after such a short closure is a huge testament to everyone who is working so hard to get us open again.

"Safety will always be our number one priority and as a venue, we have always been proud of the standards we hold and delivering a best in class fan and artist experience."