AN ABBA tribute band was forced to send its own SOS when members got trapped in the lift at a York concert venue.

The four performers in Mamma Mia - Nick Bradman as Benny, Sandra Bradman as Agnetha, Brian Somerfield as Bjorn, and Alysha Culshaw as Annifrid - and their sound expert, John Lunn, spent 15 minutes stuck between the fourth and fifth floors of the Ebor Suite at York Racecourse on Saturday night where they were due to perform at a charity fundraising ball.

The band, fully decked-out in shiny jumpsuits and platform boots, rang the emergency bell and called for help but eventually, as they became late for their 10pm performance, Mr Bradman prised the lift doors open and the group was able to climb out of the lift back on to the fifth floor.

Mr Bradman said: "We were wearing all the latex, the gold boots and there we were, stuck in the lift.

"Once we were out we needed a minute or two to calm down - then we used the stairs."

The performance at the ball, which raised more than £4,300 for the Cardiomyopathy Association and Macmillan Cancer Relief, then went ahead without a hitch.

Katrina Ellis, who organised the ball with Claire Woodcock, said: "They were very shaken up, but after a few minutes they performed and you would never have known anything had happened. They were great."

Brian Mordew, operations manager at the racecourse, said he was glad that the concert went ahead as planned.

He said: "We regret the incident.

"It's not a regular occurrence and the lifts are so geared that people shouldn't panic, they are very high-tech and are in 24-hour voice contact with the control centre.

"The duty manager belonging to the caterers attended but by the time he got there the group had alighted."

Updated: 10:46 Tuesday, July 22, 2003