Niall Horan thanks 1D fans

Niall Horan has praised One Direction's "incredible fans".

The Irish heartthrob took to his Twitter account to thank the band's admirers after the boys picked up two awards at last night's BRITs.

The band took home the statues, which had been designed by milliner Philip Treacy, for British Video with Best Song Ever and also the Global Success Award.

The award for British Video was voted for via Twitter, the first time the BRITs have used social media as a voting tool.

"What a night! you guys are f**kin incredible ! love you so much! (sic)," Niall posted to his 17.3million followers.

His bandmates also flocked to the social media site to thank their fans.

Harry Styles, 20, declared the BRITs were "ace". He nearly missed picking up one of the prizes last night after a last minute dash to the toilet.

"Sorry, I was having a wee, the toilets are ages away," the wavy-haired hunk told the audience as he ran on to the stage to collect the Global Success Award.

Zayn Malik, who normally keeps a relatively low profile on Twitter, dedicated the successful evening to the One Direction fans.

":) party !! Woo thankyou to everyone that's ever been a part of 1D :) we owe this night to you !! Xx (sic)," he tweeted.

One Direction are on course to make a cool $1billion this year, thanks to their upcoming world tour Where We Are.

The 88-date series of shows kicks off in April, starting in Colombia before taking in North America and Europe.

"It would be amazing for 1D to climb to the very top of the tour league so early in their career," a spokesperson for the band commented.

"That would be a phenomenal testament to the loyalty and support of their fans."