Police have cancelled a tattoo show at the NEC amid fears rival biker gangs were gearing up for a bloodbath.
The move follows a clash between the notorious Hell's Angels and arch rivals The Outlaws at Birmingham airport which saw gangs brandish weapons in front of horrified holidaymakers in January.
A 50-year-old man was left fighting for his life after being smashed over the head with a machete in the brawl which left two other men with stab wounds and sent passers-by fleeing for their lives. West Midlands Police have pulled the plug on the Ink and Iron show - which features everything from motorbikes to tattoos - due to be held on April 12 and 13, over concerns of mob warfare.
Officers received a tip-off that the two gangs were planning to use the event as a bloody showdown following the airport fight.Police fear the gangs have chosen Solihull as a battleground following the murder of Hell's Angels member Gerry Tobin who was shot on the M40, in Warwickshire, last August.
Worried police chiefs met up with NEC staff and the promoters of the Ink and Iron show to thrash out their concerns before pulling the plug on the event which traditionally attracts more than 8,000 people from across the country.
A spokeswoman for the NEC said they "regretted" having to cancel the show.
"This decision was not taken lightly and was made after listening to West Midlands Police advice and in consultation with the event organiser," she said.
"We regret the need to make this decision, however, the NEC Group believes the safety of our visitors and employees must always come first."
Solihull police have set up an incident room following the airport brawl and have so far arrested 26 people for a range of offences including wounding and violent disorder.Organisers of the Ink and Iron show have apologised on their website for the show's cancellation."This is due to recently received information from West Midlands police that the show had been targeted for some sort of disturbance and that there was a risk of violence taking place at the show," said a spokesman."Based on this information the NEC has decided to cancel the show to protect the safety of everyone involved." n Four men were arrested in August 2007 in connection with Mr Tobin's murder in a series of raids carried out by Warwickshire Police in Coventry and Nuneaton.The four were all remanded in custody by magistrates.