PEOPLE who had not attended the match between Burnley and Preston and some who were already banned from soccer grounds were blamed for trouble which followed the sell-out game at Turf Moor.

Six arrests were made in the Yorkshire Street and bus station areas but there was no repeat of the clashes which flared following the last Burnley home game against Wigan.

The vast majority of fans and especially those who travelled to support Preston were praised by Chief Insp Chris Weigh.

He said: "The Preston supporters were extremely well behaved and were a credit to their club.

"In fact, I would praise the crowd as a whole. The police operation went well and most people behaved themselves."

Chief Insp Weigh added: "We had a little bit of trouble in Yorkshire Street as we were escorting a group of Burnley fans away when some people who had not been on the game and some who may well have been banned from attending games congregated there and met the crowds leaving the ground.

"There was a potential for trouble and six people, all local to the Burnley area, were arrested for alleged public order offences."

Five were later charged with public order, drunkenness and theft offences and will appear before magistrates on Wednesday. A juvenile will go to the youth court on March 13 for similar matters.

About 100 police including dog handlers and mounted officers were involved in the operation. The police helicopter was also called in and hovered over the town centre as a group of about 100 rampaged from the bus station across Centenary Way and congregated on the canal towpath before dispersing.

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