Scottish star John Higgins fears copy-cat attackers could target snooker after a yob got on the table at the World Championship. 

A fuelled-up environmentalist stormed the table and poured orange powder over the baize on Monday night in unprecedented scenes never before seen in the sport. 

Fearless Belgian ref Olivier Marteel stopped a second activist who tried a coordinated attack on the other table.

Leading lights Mark Williams and Mark Allen admitted the incident created fears over player safety. 

And No 3 seed Allen, who was on the less-affected table, was relieved the sport didn’t endure its Monica Seles moment — when the tennis ace was stabbed in the back by a crazed fan back in 1993. 

Snooker bosses beefed up security in the arena yesterday and implemented rigorous bag checks for ticket-holders.

And four-time winner Higgins, who wrapped up a comprehensive 10-3 victory over Leeds qualifier David Grace, said: “I just think if other people see something like this, people are copy-cats sometimes.

“If people see it is that easy to do that, they might have it in their minds to think ‘I could maybe do something worse’. So that’s why it should be beefed up, and all bags checked.

“It was good to have the security officer at table level today. The other ones on the stairs come down at the end of frames, but then go up again.

“Of course incidents like this put fears in the back of your mind, but if you worry about everything that could happen, you wouldn’t walk out the front door. We have to get on with it.

“It is the times we live in. The security probably does need strengthening, sporting events do seem to keep on being targeted. The security probably should be better.

“I just think in the past we players think of ourselves as ordinary working-class guys, we don’t see ourselves as superstars or expect that level of security. But maybe we should.”

On the table, Wishaw Wizard Higgins resumed 7-2 up after opening up a commanding cushion in the first session.

And he finished the job in style with breaks of 124, 114 and 97 as he reached the last-16 at the sport’s spiritual Sheffield home for the 25th time. 

It’s also 25 years since the all-conquering Scot famously clinched his maiden Crucible crown.

The 47-year-old added: “The poor season I’ve had is gone, it’s away. 

“You're in the last 16 of the best tournament in the world now, you're on a high right now, you're not thinking about what happened during the season.

“You're into the second week of the tournament and the juices will get flowing, I'm sure.

“I’m feeling good about scoring if I get a chance. 

“I feel like I can make breaks when I get in and you need that here. You need to have sessions against the best players where you go on a run with some big breaks and I feel capable of that this year.”