Michael Jackson has scrapped a house-hunting trip to the UK in the wake of the
swine flu outbreak.

The King of Pop was due to visit Britain at the end of May to find a place to stay when he starts his residency at the O2 Arena in July.

But he is worried about travelling in case he catches swine flu.

A source said: "Michael wanted to come over for viewings in the next few weeks because he wants to make sure the property is just right - after all he will be renting it from now until February next year. But that is off for the time being.

"Michael doesn’t want to travel ­because of the worry surrounding the flu outbreak. He’s very particular about not catching germs anyway but he’s particularly wary of what’s going on right now.

'He is keeping up to date with all the latest worldwide news about the flu on the internet. He still wants to come over to view the properties but he’s monitoring the situation and has postponed travel for the time being.'