Council staff worked through the night to clean up title party litter
COUNCIL employees worked through the night to clean up “unacceptable” amounts of litter left behind by Celtic fans during a title party in Glasgow on Saturday.
Thousands of supporters took over Merchant City to celebrate the club reclaiming the Scottish Premiership trophy.
After the match against Motherwell, which ended 6-0 at Celtic Park, crowds of fans headed into the city centre to party. Several roads were closed.
Thousands of glass bottles, cans and plastic bags were left strewn across streets and pavements after the gathering which lasted for around seven hours. Videos of the mess were widely shared on social media.
Glasgow City Council revealed that they had prepared for litter being left, with teams ready to be working through the night.
Yesterday, a council spokesperson said: “Our cleansing staff were prepared in advance to start the clear up as soon as fans started to disperse from the Merchant City.
“Our nightshift was in place from 10pm onwards and another team is back in the area this morning to make sure things are back to normal.”
The staff were later praised by the local authority who went on to remind residents to take their litter home with them in a Facebook post.
It read: “A shout-out to our cleansing teams who had to tackle the litter left behind in Merchant City.
“Please remember to bin your rubbish or take it home with you. It is not acceptable to leave it behind or damage infrastructure.”
Traffic lights were broken during the street party but were back in operation at lunchtime yesterday following repairs which were made as “quickly as possible”.
Meanwhile, cops are investigating vandalism to the door of the Tolbooth at Glasgow Cross and inquiries continue.
Paul Sweeney MSP said: “Disappointing to hear reports that Celtic fans gathered at Glasgow Cross have broken into the 1930 Mercat Cross building by Edith Burnet Hughes.
“I hope Greater Glasgow Police secure this historic building and that no damage has occurred beyond forcing its door.”
Officers arrested six people during the celebrations.
On Saturday night, the city’s top cop Chief Superintendent Mark Sutherland, Divisional Commander for Greater Glasgow Division, said in a statement: “Police Scotland is a human rights-based organisation that puts our values of integrity, fairness, respect and a commitment to upholding human rights at the heart of everything we do.
“This afternoon thousands of Celtic supporters gathered in the area of Glasgow Cross to celebrate their team’s achievement. “A proportionate policing plan was in place which facilitated the gathering, prioritised public safety and sought to minimise disruption to businesses and communities. “While there was an unacceptable level of anti-social behaviour and littering there were no serious incidents or disorders. “There were some outbreaks of minor disorder and our officers acted swiftly and robustly to prevent escalation and protect safety.
“Over the course of the evening, there were six arrests for offences including assault and acts of public disorder.
“A further four people were issued with fixed penalty notices.”
Videos showing some of the disorders emerged on social media over the weekend. These included fans jumping up and down whilst on the roof of a white van, sectarian singing, and urinating in the street.
Photos of a fight were also posted.
The Glasgow Times previously reported that Police Scotland said a plan of action had been put in place ahead of Saturday.
Thousands of people had responded to a Facebook event, which was encouraging fans to “bring lots of flags, banners, booze, fireworks and pyro” to the party in Merchant City.
The public Facebook event also asked fans to “make lots of colour and noise” during the trophy day celebrations.