Jackson dates stretch into 2010

Michael Jackson said these shows will be his last in the UK

Michael Jackson's residency at London's O2 arena will continue well into 2010 after the singer added more dates to his farewell tour.

The veteran pop star will now play 37 nights at the venue, with seven shows planned for the new year and February.

Pre-sale tickets for Jackson's first ten dates sold out on Tuesday but some fans complained of "technical problems" trying to register online.

Ticketmaster director Chris Edmonds said demand was "unprecedented".

He added: "Unfortunately due to a technical issue, we were unable to facilitate all immediate ticket requests. Apologies to those fans who were unable to log on, but fans should keep on trying to purchase tickets."

Additional codes are being issued, the organisers said, with registration being dealt with on a first come, first served basis.

The pre-ticket sale will close later with the rest of the tickets going on sale to the general public from 0700 GMT on Friday.

Tickets for the Jackson shows are already being sold on the online auction website eBay.

Prices on the site range from