Mike Dandridge - the man behind the ill-fated Andrea Bocelli concert - last night admitted to the Oxford Mail that the event "probably won't happen".

After weeks of speculation, doubt and confusion for the hundreds of ticket holders who have been unable to contact concert promoters Vipco, Mr Dandridge, right, finally said: "Personally, I do not think it's going to happen. The whole thing has been a bit of a bloody mess."

The concert was planned for April 30 at the Kassam Stadium, but just days before it was due to take place Mr Dandridge and business partner Darren Ward, who together run Vipco, called it off -- hours after confirming it was still going ahead.

A new date -- July 10 -- was announced, but plans for that date have now reached crisis point with some ticket holders still unaware of the rescheduled event and others trying to chase refunds. But because Mr Dandridge and Mr Ward have not been opening post or answering phone calls, ticket holders have been left with nowhere to turn.

One ticket holder, Marie Crump, of Devon, has even begun county court proceedings against Vipco in a bid to secure a refund.

But yesterday Mr Dandridge said: "I have had nothing to do with the accounts side of things. Darren handles all of that. He has gone to St Albans to meet his solicitors. There are a lot of legal issues to sort out with this.

"I'm sure people have been getting their money back if they want it. We've been dealing with them the best we can, but I've been more involved with getting Bocelli to Oxford than the finances. I'm not a signatory on the cheque books -- that's all Darren. My name's not on anything. I know about as much as you do. I'm waiting for Darren to come back and then I'll know more."

The two men have been running Vipco from Mr Ward's pub, the Red Lion at Islip. All money taken from ticket holders went into the pub's accounts because Vipco's card processing machine was down and ticket holders' receipts show The Red Lion at Islip on their bank statements.

The Oxford Mail understands the pub, in Islip's High Street, is now up for sale.

Mr Dandridge claims Vipco has already paid about £160,000 for the Bocelli concert, including a £75,000 deposit for the world class tenor.

But yesterday, Mr Bocelli's agent, Barbara Vitalli, would only say: "I have not received any information to say the concert is off. I cannot answer any more of your questions."

Last night, it was still possible to buy tickets for the concert online with Ticketmaster and be charged a £7.75 booking fee.

Despite the Mail informing Ticketmaster the concert was unlikely to be going ahead, spokesman Lynn Ingle refused to comment on whether ticket sales would be suspended.