ALMOST 60 football hooligans from East Lancashire have been banned from Euro 2004, it was revealed today.

Nine thugs who claim to support Blackburn Rovers and 50 who follow Burnley have been given banning orders preventing them travelling to Portugal for summer championships.

The move is part of a nationwide drive by 66 clubs that has seen more than 2,000 hooligans barred from travelling to watch the tournament.

A further 600 thugs across the country are currently being targeted as police try to ensure the trouble-element to England's support does not get the chance to tarnish the country's name again.

The banning orders are made under the Football Disorder Act 2000 and prohibit hooligans attending UK matches. For international and European games, they are made to surrender their passports.

The powers were introduced after trouble at Euro 2000 in Belgium and Holland. Then only 100 England 'fans' were stopped.

£5million in Government cash is being used to fund the Euro 2004 crackdown after threats that the England football team would be expelled if there were repeats of the trouble.

Detective Constable Tim McDermott, football intelligence officer for Blackburn Rovers, said a lot of hooligans receiving banning orders had been identified following the Celtic UEFA Cup clash in late 2002.

They had been specifically targeted by operations at matches to build evidence to persuade a judge to grant a banning order.

Mr McDermott also spoke of his visit to the Algarve last week for England's friendly with Portugal in which he helped police with other British officers. He said: "It went reasonably well. There was a bit of trouble before the game but it was drunken disorderly we would get on a Friday or Saturday night.

"We would hope that was thanks to the successes we have had but we will have to wait and see."

In Burnley, police mounted Operation Fixture, making pre-match visits to known hooligans to warn them about their behaviour, sending cautionary letters and seizing computer equipment from thugs posting inflammatory information on the internet.

Last season, 25 people were arrested at Ewood Park and 130 at Turf Moor.