Cigarette causes hotel evacuation

Beetham Tower is Manchester's newest and tallest landmark

Hundreds of guests were forced to leave a Manchester hotel when a cigarette left near a toilet roll started to smoulder and activated fire alarms.

Crews were called to the 47-storey Beetham Tower on Deansgate shortly after 0100 BST.

A total of about 300 guests and staff were removed from the Hilton hotel, which is situated on the first 23 floors of the premises.

The incident was caused by a wedding guest in a fifth floor bathroom.

Smoke in ducts

Hotel general manager Bernadette Gilligan said: "There wasn't a fire as such - a guest at a wedding being held in the hotel put a cigarette near to a toilet roll in one of the smoking rooms and it started to smoulder.

"The smoke got into one of the ducts and it set off the alarms.

"Guests and staff were evacuated for about 50 minutes in total but the senior fire officer allowed people to go back into the lobby to wait once it was ascertained there was no fire and no danger.

"The hotel has not suffered any damage and is fully operational."