Sunday’s evening session at the UK Snooker Championship was delayed when a fire was detected in the foyer of the York Barbican.

Players, who had been minutes away from resuming first-round action, and fans were evacuated from the venue as alarms sounded and the fire brigade rushed to the scene.

World Snooker Tour confirmed: “The Fire Brigade identified a small fire in the reception of the York Barbican. It has now been put out and the building has been adjudged as safe for fans and players to return.”

After a delay of approximately one hour, during which players were ushered to the warmth of a nearby pub, play in the matches between Shaun Murphy and Hossein Vafaei, and Ali Carter and Matthew Selt, was due to get under way.