YOU have heard of people going the extra mile, but one York taxi driver took that to a new level - putting up the snooker star who knocked out World Champion Mark Selby.

David Morris set the York Barbican alight on Saturday afternoon when he beat the world number one 6-4 at the UK Championship, but the Irishman couldn’t get a room for the night with city hotels and bed & breakfasts all booked up as the busy St Nicholas Fair got under way.

It looked like the 26-year-old would have to stump up big bucks elsewhere until a good samaritan from Streamline Taxis came to his rescue.

The driver, who lives in Haxby but doesn’t want to be named, offered his spare room to Morris after ferrying him in vain around York for accommodation and the player, who takes on Stephen Maguire for a place in the UK quarter-finals tonight, said he was hugely grateful.

“I couldn’t find anywhere - basically the whole of York was booked out,” Morris said.

“The closest place was about 13 or 14 miles away and it was still £200 a night. I didn’t want to pay that so I just asked a taxi man to take me to a few different places and we’d try and do it by word of mouth.

“We didn’t find anywhere so he offered, if I hadn’t found anywhere by the night-time, to give him a ring and stay with him - he would more than happily accommodate me.

“He said he had a spare room and it was a lucky break.”

Morris added: “He was brilliant. He put me up for the night and cooked breakfast in the morning.

“It was really homely and everything was good so it was happy days. It wasn’t too far away, only a five or ten minute drive at the most.

“I rang him at near enough one o’clock in the morning and told him I was stuck. He said ‘no problem’ and that he would come and get me and had the room and everything already ready. It was perfect.

“It was really nice. He was such a kind man, and his partner - they really put me up well - so I was delighted with that.”

David Rhodes, company chairman of the Cumberland Street-based taxi firm, said: “The driver doesn’t want to be named but he is one of the real good guys. He is one of our nicest drivers.”