Fans were left waiting for up to two hours for buses following Saturday night's session at the European Championships, with some not leaving Alexander Stadium until close to midnight, after West Midlands Police made an arrest on suspicion of fraud.

Saturday night's session at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham ended not with the usual efficient dispersal of the crowd but with lengthy delays that left many spectators, VIPs and media stranded at Alexander Stadium for a couple of hours after the action on the track had finished with British victories in the 4x100m relays at just before 10pm.

Spectator buses failed to arrive as scheduled once the evening's competition wrapped up, with some fans reporting waits of around two hours before they were able to board transport away from the venue. By the time buses finally got moving, many supporters did not leave the stadium until close to midnight - awkward timing for anyone hoping to be up in good time to watch Sunday's marathons, which were due to start at 7:30am.

After a week of heatwave conditions, temperatures had also dipped and become cold, which added to the frustration among the crowds, some of whom were led to believe a road accident had caused the problems.

The disruption was not limited to the general public. VIPs were held for around 90 minutes before being able to access their own transport, while media were also informed there were no buses running, with services only resuming close to midnight.

The cause, Birmingham 2026 later confirmed, was a police incident. In a statement, organisers said championship transport had been suspended while West Midlands Police carried out an arrest, with a man in his 30s detained on suspicion of fraud. The full statement read:

"Birmingham 2026 can confirm that transport operations have returned to normal following a police incident on Saturday evening.

"Championship transport was suspended until the necessary security measures had been carried out whilst West Midlands Police arrested a man in his thirties on suspicion of fraud.

"The safety and wellbeing of our spectators, athletes, workforce and the wider Championships family will always be our first priority.

"We recognise that the delays presented challenges for those affected and would like to thank everyone for their patience, understanding and cooperation throughout the evening.

"Further information will be issued on Sunday relating to the evening's postponed medal ceremonies."

That final line confirmed that Saturday's medal ceremonies were also disrupted, with organisers promising further details on Sunday about how they would be rescheduled.

It is a frustrating footnote to a night that had otherwise delivered plenty of drama on the track, but comes on top of the questions already raised earlier in the championships over ticket pricing and attendance at some sessions.