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Music venues said the original £30m fell short of what is needed Image caption: Music venues said the original £30m fell short of what is needed

The government has doubled the support for theatres, museums, music venues and other arts organisations in England to deal with the impact of Omicron after criticism that the original £30m was not enough.

Many theatres and concert venues have been forced to cancel performances and have seen bookings drop sharply as a result of infections and audience concerns.

"Christmas is a very important time of year for so many of our brilliant arts and culture organisations who have now found themselves impacted by the Omicron variant," Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said.

“It is absolutely right that we support them through this challenging time which is why we’ve doubled the emergency funding available from the Culture Recovery Fund and allowed more time for organisations to come forward."

The increase comes two days after the original support, which came as part of a wider package for business and hospitality, was given a lukewarm reception by the arts and entertainment industry.

On Tuesday, Shadow Culture Secretary Lucy Powell told BBC Radio 4's Front Row the original package was "a very small sticking plaster".

The government has also pledged £1.5m to help freelancers. On Wednesday, the Scottish government announced an £8m fund for freelancers.