“Tom Chaplin is currently being treated for alcohol and drug addictionand will not return to the road until he, and the doctors handling hisrecovery, feel that he is ready to do so,” the band said in a statement.

“Obviously it’s crucial that Tom isgiven the time to get better properly. With the first dates in Americaonly a fortnight away, his doctors feel there is undue pressure on Tomto rush through rehab and get back out on the road. That’s why, betweenthe three of us, we’ve decided to cancel the U.S. tour,” bandmate Tim Rice-Oxley said.

“We’d like toapologise to the fans who’ve bought tickets, but we’ve done this in thebest interests of our friend – which, ultimately, is in the bestinterests of the band too. At this stage we plan to go ahead with thetours of the U.K. and Europe in October and November. We’ll be keeping inclose touch with Tom and his doctors about how he’s progressing andwe’ll keep you posted.”

The band’s arena tour of the U.K. and Europe starts October 17 and runs for a month.