Two England fans critically hurt in Marseille ‘war zone’

and some of the England players. Most England supporters fled in the other direction but some responded and punches were exchanged.

Parents were seen on mobile phones desperately trying to call for help and cradling crying youngsters in their arms to protect them.

In terrifying scenes, innocent supporters, including women, were apparently crushed into barriers and other were seen hanging in mid-air, clinging on to barriers to escape the violence.

Spectators reported seeing stewards in the ground at the end of the game, but no police officers. After the violence broke out, police and security staff took more than three minutes to start bringing it under control. One England supporter said: “The police were nowhere to be seen, they took way too long to respond.”

Uefa is understood to be starting an investigation into the crowd disturbances. The scenes inside the stadium raise questions about French security at a time when the country is on high alert after November’s terrorist attacks.

Rebekah Vardy, the new wife of England striker Jamie Vardy, said on Twitter she had been tear-gassed during the fighting earlier outside the Stade Velodrome before kick-off.

Fighting also broke out last night in Nice, where the match between Northern Ireland and Poland will take place today. A senior supporters’ representative said French police had been called in to disperse local “ultras”.

Earlier in Marseille yesterday, a 51year-old English fan suffered “horrific” head injuries amid claims that Russian “ultras” with knives and metal poles ambushed rival supporters in the port area. Another younger England fan was slashed across his face.

There were last night no details about the other critically injured fan. Photographs earlier had shown an England follower on the ground, blood pouring from a head wound, while a French policeman tried to revive him.

The 51-year-old critically injured fan was ambushed near the city’s Hard Rock Cafe. Witnesses said he showed signs of life after officers carried out CPR for about two minutes. “He got knocked to the ground and kicked in the head for nothing. He was not doing anything when some lads attacked him,” one English fan said last night.

Matthieu Duroselle, a police spokesman, said: “His heart stopped but it was restarted by a police officer who provided heart massage.”

Another attacker smashed a chair over the head of a man on crutches and he was seen collapsing down steps. Authorities said a Russian supporter who suffered a cardiac arrest during the battles was fighting for life in hospital.

England fans said that they had been hunted down by packs of Russians during the day. “It was the Russians that sparked it all,” an England supporter insisted. “A whole gang came right into the middle of everything and started throwing punches.” Another said: “They threw everything at us – chairs, bottles – and they slashed us with knives. The French are also having a go.” Photographs seemed to back up at least some claims as they showed thugs in T-shirts with Locomotiv Moscow’s club logo beating English fans who appeared to be trying to flee. One image showed a man stamping on the head of an England supporter.

Russian hooligans posted a series of “celebratory” photographs online of England fans covered in blood. Fighting had broken out at about 4pm after heavy drinking in the Vieux Port and lasted until police dispersed most of the troublemakers prior to the match.

Clashes had taken place over the two previous nights but yesterday’s brutality was the worst. About 25,000 England fans and 12,000 Russians were in the city for last night’s game and at one point a military water cannon was used to drive away the thugs after police lost control.

John Gregor, 37, a fan who arrived in Marseille yesterday with two friends, said the police must take some blame. “We watched the Russians pour in and go hell for leather for 25 minutes at the English. The police just stood and watched. They’ve lost total control.”

Police fired tear gas at rioters, for the third day running. As battles raged, England fans taunted riot police, hurling bottles. At one stage, police were battling 600 Russian and English fans.

Injured fans fled as missiles rained down and streets became a mix of blood and broken glass. Onlookers said Russians wrenched legs off café chairs to use as weapons. Questions will be English hooligans hurled bottles in the Old Port area of Marseille, but found themselves at the mercy of French security personnel,

after clashes with Russian ultras,

in scenes of extreme violence on the second day of the Euro 2016 football tournament