Police are hunting for a person who set off a flare inside a busy town centre nightclub.

More than 1.000 people had to leave the Atik nightclub in  Brook Street, Wrexham, early on Sunday morning following the incident, which was initially reported to North Wales Fire and Rescue Service at 1.53am as a building fire.

Upon arriving, the two fire crews sent from Wrexham discovered that there was no blaze but that a flare had been set off within the building.

A fire and rescue spokesman said a full evacuation had already taken place and firefighters conducted an investigation of the building and its alarm systems.

Insp Paul Wycherley, of North Wales Police, said police worked with the club and emergency services to ensure the safety of  more than 1,000 people who were in the building as they came out onto Brook Street.

But of whoever set off a device in the club, he said: “Clearly we had a number of people on Brook Street and so we had to manage their safety. It’s a particularly stupid thing to do and we’re still hunting for the offender.”

A spokesman for ATIK Wrexham said: "The club was safely evacuated following a minor incident, but quickly reopened."

 Police are reviewing CCTV footage from inside the and outside the club in a bid to identify the culprit.

 Anyone with information can call North Wales Police on 101.