Lowestoft-raised rockstar Justin Hawkins was reportedly hospitalised after melting his shorts onto his skin in a freak accident.

The Darkness frontman revealed the accident in a now-deleted post on celebrity message site Cameo, and said it happened when he was fixing the swimming pool at his Switzerland home.

According to the Independent, he said: “There was a problem with the pool, a pump thing, and some chemicals came out of it.

“I think it was a PH negative chemical to control the acidity of the pool. I was trying to fix it and I touched my legs and my shorted melted onto my legs, so then I had to go to hospital.”

The group had been due to perform around America in April and May before their latest tour was cancelled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The band is comprised of former Kirkley High School pupils Justin and Dan Hawkins and drummer Ed Graham, as well as Scotsman Frankie Poullain.