A ROBOT was the cause of an unusual call-out for the emergency services this evening.

Firefighters responded to a York University smoke alarm which was activated at just before 6pm.

The alarm came from the university's Heslington East Campus, which houses the new £30m Department of Theatre, Film and Television complex.

Part of the ground floor of the building has been turned into an arena for a Robot Wars project.

One of the robots had been plugged in to charge and had begun to catch fire, setting off the alarm.

A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "The fire was limited to the robot only."

Fire crews were at the complex for half an hour to deal with the robo-blaze, which was attributed to an electrical fault.