A fire exit was set ablaze at a cinema during a Saturday night screening.

The fire broke out at the Pavilion in Galashiels in the Borders at 6.30pm on Saturday.

It is believed to have been caused by sparklers which were left by the exit.

The fire was quickly extinguished and the cinema did not have to be evacuated.

Inspector Mike Bennett added: "Thanks to the vigilance of the customer and the quick actions of the staff, the fire was discovered and extinguished before it could grow and spread.

"Nevertheless, this reckless act of stupidity had the very real potential to become a far more serious incident and we are keen to identify the culprits as soon as possible."

The fire is believed to have caused around £1000 worth of damage the family-run cinema.

Pavilion manager Andrew Poole said: "The film showing at the time was paused for a short time while the incident was dealt with and all customers were given the opportunity to leave with a refund if they wanted to. All those customers chose to stay.

"The incident was concluded within 15 minutes, the fire brigade were not required but the police were called as this was a deliberate attempt at fire-raising."