POLICE measures to prevent eight Suffolk football yobs travelling to the World Cup are proving a success, the force said today.

POLICE measures to prevent eight Suffolk football yobs travelling to the World Cup are proving a success, the force said today.

As part of Suffolk police's supervision of the county's yobs, all eight had to report to stations in the county before England's opening game and hand over their passports. They also have to report in on each day England play.

A police spokesperson today said the eight were continuing to meet the requirements, with none failing to report to stations on each of the four days England have had a game.

The eight are among 3,300 troublemakers across the country banned from travelling to the tournament in Germany for fear they could be violent.

Police are using new powers to stop a football fan travelling to the World Cup as reported in The Star yesterday.

In the first case of its kind in the country, Suffolk police have taken Ipswich man Peter Meadows to court and he has been ordered to surrender his passport.

The case is yet to be heard fully and a date for a court trial has been booked for October 9 - three months after the end of the World Cup.

If successful, the order would stop Mr Meadows travelling to football matches abroad for between two and three years, but as yet he has not been able to put his defence to magistrates hearing the case.

Meanwhile, police in Ipswich are making preparations ahead of England's quarter final clash against Portugal on Saturday in a bid to prevent a repeat of trouble that followed the last competitive match between the two sides in Euro 2004.

After that game there was a good atmosphere between fans of the two teams in Ipswich but there was trouble in Thetford, Norfolk, where English supporters took their frustrations out on the Portuguese community.

WEBLINK:

www.suffolk.police.uk

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