Ronnie O'Sullivan unhappy with bins at the Alexandra Palace

Ronnie O'Sullivan has criticised Masters venue the Alexandra Palace, saying that the historic North London building is "dirty" and that it makes him "feel ill".

O'Sullivan is through to the semi-finals of the Masters after grinding out a 6-3 win over Barry Hawkins last night.

Afterwards he appeared for a television interview wearing a thick coat and speaking of his desire for a "massive, dirty curry", but it's dirt of another kind that now appears to be upsetting him.

"I just don't like this place. I find it disgusting," O'Sullivan told the London Independent.

"Everywhere is dirty. It’s cold. It’s freezing, I have to wear my coat everywhere. You go through car parks. There are bins. Honestly, it just makes me feel ill.

"I’m a bit of a clean freak and when I come in here it gives me the heebie-jeebies. I just can’t wait to get out of here."

The 159-year-old venue hosted the PDC World Darts Championship over Christmas and has been the stage for the Masters for over a decade.

O'Sullivan has previously criticised the venue for the Welsh Open. The tournament recently moved from Newport to the much larger Motorpoint Arena, which he compared to an "aircraft hanger".

The World Snooker Tour defended the Ally Pally and in a statement, said: "We work alongside Alexandra Palace to provide the best possible conditions for players on and off the table.

"All other players have spoken with unanimous positivity about the venue. Fans love coming here. This is underlined by record ticket sales and the fact that all standard admission seats sold out ahead of this year's tournament."