No place for hooligans to hide

HOOLIGANS who marred a Hull City match may be tracked down in a similar operation to the one which netted thugs after the infamous Huddersfield Town clash four years ago.

Today, PC Karl Corcoran, Humberside Police's football intelligence officer, confirmed up to 60 individuals are of interest to them.

About 40 Hammers fans clashed with a smaller group of Hull City yobs at Parkers, in Anlaby Road.

Others were spotted fighting outside the stadium in Walton Street, west Hull.

PC Corcoran said: "We may pick them off at a football match or we may target them in a two or three-day operation, as we did after Huddersfield."

Following that incident in April 2004,18 men – 17 of them Hull City fans – were sentenced for affray and banned from Football Association games. Seventeen of them were jailed.

Debbie West, landlady of Parkers, previously described the latest incident as "horrendous and frightening".

She told the Mail: "A good 40 to 50 West Ham fans turned up in the car park and fought with about 10 Hull City fans.

"Glasses and bottles were thrown. My customers were disgusted."

Officers claim to have extensive video footage of the latest violence, which marred the match at the KC Stadium last month.

PC Corcoran said: "We have footage from CCTV cameras at the ground and in the street, as well as footage from hand-held cameras which were carried by our officers."

Officers are busy compiling "arrest packages" before they carry out raids.

Humberside Police has sent footage of the clashes to West Ham United.

"That footage has been sent off to West Ham United," said PC Corcoran.

"It is down to them what they do with it. They may pass it on to police."

PC Corcoran again stressed the majority of Hull City fans are law-abiding people who condemn football-related violence.

He said: "It was a small element of fans who have let the club down. I have praised the good fans a thousand times and I will do so again."