POLICE in Lancashire have shown 52 would-be football hooligans from East Lancashire the red card in advance of this summer's Euro 2004 competition.

Banning orders have been taken out on more than 71 known trouble-makers in the county - the majority of which come from the Pennine and Eastern Division of the force - to stop them travelling to Portugal for the UEFA European Football Championship which takes place between Saturday, June 12 and Sunday, Julyu 4, 2004.

Of those 52, 42 are from the Burnley and Pendle area with the rest from the wider Blackburn area.

England will initially participate in Group B along with France, Switzerland, and Croatia. The first fixture is against France in Lisbon on Sunday, 13 June 2004.

Superintendent Clive Tattum, in charge of Operations Services, says police will be doing their best to ensure that known football hooligans do not travel to Portugal to cause trouble.

He said: "During the past decade, attention has increasingly turned to the poor behaviour of a minority of English football supporters overseas. Each incident has brought shame on our national reputation and resulted in many arrests and expulsions of English supporters by host nations.

"Over the last 12 months - and in the run up to Euro 2004 - we have supported a Government initiative and obtained more than 70 football banning orders against certain individuals, specifically aimed at stopping problem football supporters going to the tournament. Rigorous policing at all ports and airports in the county will enforce these orders.

"England will have more supporters at the tournament than any other nation apart from the hosts Portugal. The overwhelming majority of these England fans are law abiding and peaceful."