A performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall was cancelled last night when smoke in the basement of the building prompted an evacuation. The popular Classic FM Live event had attracted around 3,500 concert goers, who were forced to wait outside as two fire engines and around ten firefighters from Knightsbridge and Kensington fire stations were called to the scene. The crowd were later told that the event had been cancelled causing a number of people to post their disappointment on Twitter.

The Royal Albert Hall later issued a statement on its website, clarifying that ‘a small electrical problem’ had caused smoke in the building and that customers who had purchased tickets directly from the Hall would be contacted about how to obtain a full refund. A further announcement is to be made about events due to take place at the Royal Albert Hall today.

The Classic FM Live concert was to feature performances from the Central Band of the Royal Air Force, Crouch End Festival Chorus, Royal Northern Sinfonia, soprano Hayley Westenra and pianist Joseph Moog.