Blackburn Rovers bosses and fans have slammed a company for making football hooligan dolls wearing Rovers kit and brandishing miniature knuckle dusters.

The Little Hooliganz characters are kitted out in the colours of the top clubs which include a figure from the Rovers hooligan firm - called by the company the "Blackburn Bluebird Bruisers."

Fans can collect their own firm of thugs which also include the Bolton Bulldog Breezers and the Wigan Wallaby Wasters, but Rovers supporters have today put the boot in to manufacturers Blighty Collectables.

They claimed that the £4.99 figures, which were the brainchild of ex-self-confessed football hooligan Robert Edwards, glamorise football violence and rip-off club shirts.

On the Blighty Collectables website football fans are also encouraged to vote for their favourite hooligan firm so that the most popular can be immortalised in a figurine.

But Pauline Perkins, former secretary of the Blackburn Rovers Supporters Association, said she hoped Rovers fans would boycott the figures and the website as she believed the company was promoting hooliganism.

She said: "This is absolutely ridiculous and I would certainly not want any child of mine being involved in such a thing.

"It is disgraceful and is certainly not going to help families enjoy a day out at the football.

"The Football Association should definitely take action as it is just encouraging and promoting hooliganism."

Blighty director John Duckett defended their product saying that the figures satirised rather than glamourised hooliganism and promised Rovers fans that their Blackburn Bluebird Bruisers figurines will be available from September.

He also said that fans of teams that were not in the Premiership could request for their own thug to be created.

He added: "We are trying to take the violence out of hooliganism and show that it is something that is in the past.

"Our website is interactive and we want Rovers fans to acknowledge their support so we can publish which is the most popular hooligan firm each month.

"The more people who vote for the Blackburn firm - the quicker their character will be made.

"New Little Hooliganz are constantly being designed and manufactured. Our immediate aim is to have five Little Hooliganz from each firm of the 20 Premiership teams."

But Malcolm Clarke, chairman of the Football Supporters' Federation, said: "Genuine football fans would have nothing to do with this product. "

And a spokesperson for Blackburn Rovers added: "We totally support the viewpoint of the Football Supporters' Federation and will also back the FA Premier League in condemning anything which promotes or glamourises football hooliganism."