TWELVE Burnley fans have been sanctioned by the club following a pitch invasion during the Lancashire derby with Preston North End Last year.

A number of people entered the pitch and embraced Clarets goalkeeper Tom Heaton following Joey Barton's sixth minute goal in the 1-0 victory at Deepdale on April 22.

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The club has said it is continuing to look through CCTV footage in a bid to identify the other individuals involved in the invasion. But officials have issued punishments ranging from stadium bans to acceptable behaviour agreements to those already identified.

The club has also warned fans that any similar behaviour could result in a heavy FA fine and said there is a zero tolerance approach to pitch invaders.

A club statement said: "Burnley Football Club has issued sanctions against 12 individuals following a minor pitch invasion last season.

"During the Preston North End v Burnley match at Deepdale on Friday, April 22, 2016 a number of Burnley supporters ran onto the pitch following the only goal of the game.

"Football League ground regulations clearly stipulate that crossing onto the trackside during a match is a criminal offence and one that supporters could be arrested for.

"The Football Association (FA) also reserve the right to fine the guilty club for not controlling its fans.

"Subsequently, following this incident, an investigation took place and 12 individuals have been interviewed and sanctioned by the club. Various sanctions were imposed, ranging from stadium bans to acceptable behaviour agreements.

"There are still several fans who ran onto the pitch, but have not been identified. Club officials will continue to use CCTV to identify these supporters in the coming weeks.

"In order to prevent the club from being in jeopardy of receiving a heavy fine from the FA, fans are again respectfully requested to stay within the seating area at Turf Moor and when visiting other clubs.

"Burnley Football Club has a zero tolerance policy to pitch invasions, and any person breaching this particularly important ground regulation will be dealt with firmly."