Nearly 30 people were forced to flee a Newport hotel after a yob hurled a smoke bomb into its bar.

A customer at the Adams House Hotel grabbed the missile and threw it back into High Street yesterday at about 10pm.

About 20 people were forced to leave the bar as it began to fill with blue smoke.

Hotel guests also had to leave their rooms after the smoke filtered upstairs.

Three youths were seen outside the premises and later ran off with a bike belonging to a customer, who chased after them and got the cycle back.

Hotel manager Matthew Rogers said: “One of them just opened the door and threw in a smoke bomb. That filled the room with blue smoke and set off the fire alarm.

“Everyone rushed out. Nobody quite knew what was going on.”

Mr Rogers said someone threw device back outside.

“The smoke filtered upstairs,” he said. “All the residents came down. They were scared and didn’t know what was going on. They could smell smoke and thought it was a fire.”

Mr Rogers has reported the incident to police. He said he had been told youths were seen throwing smoke bombs in an alleyway near Waitrose in the town earlier the same day.

The youth who threw the smoke bomb was described as about 6ft, having a shaven head with a red tattoo, possibly a rose design, on his neck. All three wore dark clothing with hoods.

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 08457 444888.