PLANS to put a Freddie Mercury statue outside a West End theatre have been canned — over fears it may be stolen.
Bosses believe it is unlikely the new steel structure will be seen at the London Coliseum — new home of Queen musical We Will Rock You.
It comes after Queen lead guitarist Brian May, 75, teased the appearance of the statue ahead of June 2’s opening night.
He posted online: “Brand new Freddie statue arriving to be installed in London’s Coliseum Theatre. It’s a promise”.
A Freddie statue stood on the roof of London’s Dominion Theatre, right — former home to the show — for 13 years before the musical closed in 2014.
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A source said: “They have been trying to get permission to put the new statue outside the Coliseum but it’s been a nightmare.
“It’s a listed building which has thrown up some issues.
“It can’t go on the roof and there are concerns that if it’s put outside it could be stolen.
“The West End can be a pretty wild place at night and it would be awful if Freddie were to go missing.
“The theatre is trying to work out a way to make it happen for the new three-month run of the show.
"Right now, it’s looking unlikely the statue will ever find a home there.”
Singer Freddie, who also wrote many of the group’s hits including Killer Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody, Somebody to Love and Don’t Stop Me Now, died aged 45 in Kensington, West London, in 1991.