A DANCER teacher has blasted the 'bureaucracy gone mad' at the county council after 20 children were banned from performing.

The kids from the Blackburn-based Zoe Taylor Dance Academy were due to open an event at the Dunkenhalgh Hotel, Clayton-le-Moors, last night with a 10-minute routine.

But Lancashire County Council refused to allow them to appear on child protection grounds because parental consent forms had only been handed over the day before the event.

Guidelines state they should be submitted 21 days in advance, but the dancers were only asked to perform at the Bee radio station's event at the last minute.

More than 400 tickets had been sold for the show and many of the girls - and their parents - were left in tears when they heard the news.

Some of the youngsters only learned their act had been cancelled when they returned from school and were starting their pre-performance preparations.

A group of older dancers from the school, who are all over the age of 16, were set to perform instead.

Former professional dancer Zoe said: "We have always strived to work with the council and our dancers' safety and welfare is our main priority.

"Not all dance schools even bother to get in touch with the council or fill out these forms and it seems we have been penalised for trying to play by the rules.

"The way the dance world works means you have to take performing opportunities when they are given to you - and this is not always within the 21-days set out by the council.

"Staff had a completed set of forms but have refused to process them.

"It's bureaucracy gone mad."

The 36-year-old added: "To turn the girls down at the last minute is just cruel.

"It should be the council workers ringing parents and children with the bad news and hearing their hearts break down the phone - then maybe they would realise how much performing means to them."

Speaking before the show, Simon Brierley, station manager at the Bee, said: "Following conversations between Lancashire County Council, the venue and the dance school, we have been assured that the performance will go ahead featuring dancers aged 16 or over." Sandra Rothwell, senior child employment and entertainment officer, said: "Our main concern is children's welfare and we have a legal duty to ensure that public performances involving children under the age of 16 are safe and properly licensed.

"We adopt a flexible approach wherever possible to help people out, but we do rely on people giving us sufficient notice – the law says 21 days but we are happy to allow some leeway as long we have all of the information and signatures we need.

"We work very closely with local amateur performing arts groups, so they don't fall foul of the law, and do everything we can to help people with their licensing applications, including making personal visits."