Behaviour warning for derby fans

Football fans were warned to behave ahead of the Lancashire derby clash between Blackpool and Preston.

Almost 10,000 fans packed Bloomfield Road for the Championship fixture on Sunday afternoon, won 3-1 by Preston.

Town centre pubs and bars were kept closed until 15 minutes before the kick-off in a bid to avert trouble.

A substantial policing operation was in place before and after the fixture and there were no reports of any incidents on Sunday afternoon.

Match commander Supt Richard Debicki said: "Out intention for this match is simple - to ensure that genuine fans and supporters enjoy themselves," he said.

"It's a local derby that lots of people look forward to, and our job is to make sure that people can watch the match safely."

Mr Debicki added: "My message to anybody who might think about causing problems is to stay away because the police will take action against you, making arrests where necessary."