A giant fatberg prevented a Bryan Adams concert from going ahead in Australia after nearby properties were flooded with sewage.

The Canadian singer-songwriter’s gig at the RAC Arena in Perth on Sunday was called off at the 11th hour over fears that sewage would back up and flow out from the venue’s toilets.

“Our crews are working to clear the large blockage of fat, grease and rags, which has caused several wastewater overflows at properties,” the state water corporation said in a statement, urging the public to avoid direct contact with the “pooled water”.

The rock star apologised to fans, many of whom had queued for hours only to be turned away, and thanked them for their “patience” before promising to reschedule the show.

“I’m really sorry we couldn’t make this happen tonight - I was so looking forward to seeing you all,” he posted on social media on Sunday.

James Arthur, the British X factor winner, was scheduled to take the stage as a support act at around 7.45pm.

A text message sent at about 7.15pm informed concert-goers that the event had been delayed, before a second message at around 7.35pm said doors would remain closed. A final message at 9pm said the concert had been delayed, meaning the event was only formally cancelled hours later.

‘Not easily dislodged’

The water corporation said it had worked “incredibly hard” to clear the blockage and considered turning to “sucker trucks” to remove the sludge.

It said: “Contingencies, including the use of sucker trucks, were considered, but the volume of wastewater generated by a capacity crowd of 16,000 people at the Arena was considered too great.

“We can certainly understand people’s disappointment and frustration,” adding that the cancellation could be seen as “an important reminder to not flush things down the toilet or sink that can lead to these problems”.

Concert promoter Frontier Touring said the cancellation was “bitterly disappointing” but out of Adams’ control, suggesting that while the show could not be rescheduled, tickets would be refunded automatically.

“The issue, which impacted all of Wellington Street, meant that it was deemed unsafe for patrons to enter RAC Arena,” the company added.

In an update on Monday, the water authority said the blockage “could not be easily dislodged”.

Fatbergs are formed when fat, oil and grease latch on to items such as wet wipes and tampons to create serious blockages, such as the fatberg weighing roughly the same as three double-decker buses which was removed from an east London sewer last year.

Thames Water reminded people at the time to only flush “pee, poo and toilet paper”.