Little Mix have cancelled their upcoming tour dates in Australia and New Zealand to ensure they have time to record their sixth album.

The pop group – Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall and Perrie Edwards – announced the news in a post on their shared Twitter page.

They said: “We are really sad to announce we have to cancel our upcoming Australia and New Zealand tour dates.

“We are so sorry for disappointing our fans who were coming to the shows.

“This is not a decision we have taken lightly but we have to use this time to focus on recording new music.

“Please contact your point of purchase for a full refund on tickets.”

The tour dates were originally planned for June but were postponed to December due to the band’s promotional duties.

The decision will allow them to record a follow-up to their number three album LM5, which was released in November 2018 and featured the single Woman Like Me featuring US rapper Nicki Minaj.

Jesy Nelson’s mental health documentary
LittlJesy Nelson from Little Mix (Ian West/PA)

The former X Factor stars recently announced that they would appear in their own BBC show.

They are hoping to find talented singers to become members of all-female, all-male or mixed bands in BBC One show Little Mix The Search, which will air next year.

Nelson recently featured in a candid documentary in which she spoke about how she has struggled with being bullied since rising to fame eight years ago.

The show, Jesy Nelson: Odd One Out, became BBC Three’s most-watched factual title since it moved online in 2016, according to seven-day data.