FOOTBALL fans were left fuming after a fruitless 500-mile round trip to Kent.

More than 1200 Blackburn Rovers fans travelled to Gillingham on Saturday to watch the League One leaders only to find that the game was called off due to bad weather - despite fans saying there was no snow.

Alan Birbeck of Ewood Blues, an away-game transportation organisation, said the cancellation of the game and the lack of communication from Gillingham on the day led to chaos for supporters who had travelled for hours to attend the match.

He said: “There were 49 of us on the coach and we had left Blackburn at 6am in the morning to make it down in time for the game.

“We were about five minutes away from arriving when someone on the bus heard from a friend that the game had been cancelled. We couldn’t believe it.

“They said it had been called off due to snow, but when we arrived there wasn’t a bit of snow to be seen.”

Mr Birbeck, who travels to all of Blackburn’s away games has said that people on the coach will have paid in excess of £100 to be there on the day, money they’re not sure they will get back.

He said: “We understand that sometimes these things happen, but the way it has been handled is what has upset us. We didn’t find out the match had been cancelled until the last minute and we’ve also had no apology from anyone. It is very disappointing.”

Rovers say they will look into the possibility of covering fans’ travel costs for the re-arranged game at Gillingham next month following Saturday’s postponement.

Their statement read: “The two clubs had been in contact from Wednesday, following the issuing of a yellow/amber weather warning for Kent.

“After releasing updated travel and safety information on Friday afternoon, the club was first contacted by Gillingham at approximately 9.30am on the day of the match.

“At this time, the hosts expressed concern over the open terracing in the away end, as well as the weather forecast, with snowfall expected during the afternoon.

“Rovers officials were also informed that the referee had been notified about these concerns and was due to arrive at the Priestfield Stadium at 11am.

“At approximately 11.15am, the club was again contacted by Gillingham, who confirmed the postponement of the fixture on the grounds of spectator safety, a decision supported by the local Safety Advisory Group.

“This news was followed by confirmation on the club’s official website and social media platforms at approximately 11.20am.

“A statement on Gillingham’s official website stated that, following an inspection by the match referee and despite the pitch being potentially playable, the amount of snow that has fallen has caused a health and safety concern for all supporters.

The rearranged League One game will take place at Priestfield Stadium on Tuesday, April 10.