The shows, which have already been pulled once due to "internal haemorrhaging" sustained by guitarist BUCKETHEAD, will now not take place as planned in December.

A statement issued by band manager Doug Goldstein blames the delay to the long-awaited album 'Chinese Democracy' following the guitarist's illness as one of the reasons for the second postponement.

The statement reads: "To ensure Guns N' Roses fans get the album they deserve, Axl Rose has spent every waking minute of everyday during the past 5 years writing, recording, and producing Guns first album of all new material since 1991. Following the euphoria of Rock in Rio, I jumped the gun and arranged a European tour as our plan was to have the new album out this year.

"Unfortunately, Buckethead's illness not only stopped the tour but it also slowed down progress on 'Chinese Democracy'. As a result, touring right now is logistically impossible. I am very sorry to disappoint our fans but I can assure them that this is not what Axl wanted nor is it 'Another page from the Howard Hughes of rock' as some of the media will no doubt portray it. I made a plan and unfortunately it did not work out.

"The good news is that everyone is ecstatic with the album and we will be meeting with our label to schedule its release following which we will announce the rescheduled tour dates to coincide. Guns N' Roses look forward to seeing everybody next year and once again please accept my apologies for the way this has played out."

The UK shows were due to take place at:

London Docklands Arena (December 13-14)
Glasgow SECC (16)
Manchester Evening News Arena (18)
Birmingham NEC (19)