AN OFFICIAL opening for a multi-million pound performance arts centre turned into a soggy mess - as helpers donned wellies and macs instead of best bib and tucker.

Leaders at the Hextable Dance Centre were forced to postpone the ceremony after floods delayed the VIP day.

September 22 should have seen the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Hextable Dance Centre, but instead some areas were out of bounds after torrential rain flooded parts of the building.

People behind the scenes of the state-of-the arts centre, which cost £3m, at Hextable School in Egerton Avenue were shocked to discover both the building’s main reception and drama studio had been flooded during the summer break.

Former Hextable School head teacher Sheila Smith, chair of the arts centre’s board, said: "You just deal with it. Everybody has mucked in, the school’s caretaker was great and the water was brushed out."

Mrs Smith, along with artistic director Richard Whistler, then called out a company to lift the soggy wooden floors and put a drier in place to remove the dampness.

The former head explained that the centre did not have to close and it was business as usual. However the drama and reception areas are still being dried out and will be ready for use in coming weeks.

Mrs Smith added: "The arts centre is being used by the school and other groups in the evenings. We had professional dancers in residence that were taking their show on tour who carried on with their residency after the floods.

"But we wanted the centre to look its best for the official opening, which is why we took the decision to put the cremony back a bit."

Louise Carlier, who runs Street Dance at the Hextable Dance Centre, said: "When we had all the rain, they had some flooding and it destroyed studio two. They can’t use it until they know that it’s not going to happen again.

"It’s lucky it’s so new – they’ve got a partition which runs between the two studios, so they can still use the other.

"The Hextable Dance Centre is lovely – absolutely fantastic and I’m looking forward to getting in there."

The centre, which should officially launch in the next few weeks, will attract the cream of the performing arts world. It has been funded by the Arts Council of England, The National Lottery and KCC.

In September last year, Hextable School, which has invested £200,000, was awarded specialist performing arts college status.

Swanley Town Council has also donated a further £20,000. The town’s Mayor Barrie Wigg toured the building for the first time on Tuesday.

He said: "The flooding of the centre was a setback, but I am delighted that everyone has worked so hard to keep the building project on track. I am already looking forward to the first performance."