The World Snooker Championship came to a halt after a protester wearing a Just Stop Oil t-shirt ran into the arena and scattered a bag of orange powder across the surface.

The activists jumped on the table and interrupted Robert Milkins’ clash with Joe Perry in the evening session, forcing a delay of around 40 minutes before any play resumed.

“We’ve got a protester who is throwing powder on the table - I’ve never seen the likes of this before,” said the shocked commentator on Eurosport as events unfolded.