Two football fans have been given three-year bans from attending football matches after taking flares into a match. During the FA Youth Cup final between Manchester United and Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford on May 11, which United won 3-1, Andrew Chambers and Bradley Lilliman set off smoke bombs.
Both were later charged with possession of a flare at a sporting event. Chambers, 55, and Lilliman, 18, both pleaded guilty to the charge and were given the banning orders at Manchester Magistrates' Court on Tuesday (June 28).
Chambers, of Shirland Drive, Mansfield, was ordered to pay costs of £107 and Lilliman, of Victoria Street, Newark, was also ordered to pay a surcharge of £22. Nottinghamshire Police are warning about the consequences of taking pyrotechnics into football stadiums.
READ MORE: Police pull over 'forest on wheels' that was swaying on major Nottinghamshire road
Inspector Craig Berry, of Nottinghamshire Police's football unit, said: "A new European-inspired culture appears to be emerging within football supporters across the country, where setting off of pyrotechnics inside football grounds is seen as acceptable and normal. While most will not have any ulterior motives other than the belief they are creating or contributing to the atmosphere inside the ground, it is important that people realise that letting off these devices inside stadiums is illegal for a reason.
"Smoke bombs can be dangerous, both for those who are carrying them and those in the close vicinity when they're activated. As these supporters have found out to their cost, smuggling these items into grounds is a criminal offence that can lead to a football banning order of up to five years. The message is clear: such devices are dangerous and are not welcome within football stadiums."
Alan Bexon, head of operations at Nottingham Forest, said: "Sadly we have seen an increase in the usage of pyrotechnics within stadiums from supporters and we have had several incidents as a result of their usage. Other fans have suffered breathing difficulties and one young fan had such a device land in his hood which, as you can imagine, was alarming for both him and his family. As a club we take a strong stance on the illegal usage of pyrotechnics and feel it is right that these offenders have received football banning orders."
READ NEXT:
Prison guard scalded by boiling water thrown by lag with 32 convictions
Painter and decorator cleared on gun charges says 'it's been a nightmare'
Nottingham conman pretended to be council worker to steal from woman
Doctor alleged to have mistreated nine patients while in Nottingham
- Click here for all the latest courts news from Nottinghamshire Live
