Police to hold talks over fans’ behaviour
URGENT TALKS are to be held between North Yorkshire Police and Scarborough Athletic and councillors to tackle anti-social behaviour of fans on the way to football games in the seaside town.
The meeting is being organised after an image came to light of a man on his way to match at the Flamingo Land Stadium urinating in a resident’s garden.
Ramshill ward councillor Steve Siddons again raised the issue at Scarborough Council’s full council meeting when he said residents lives were being made a “nightmare” and said people had even been urinating behind the Mencap building in Valley Road.
Coun Andrew Jenkinson said there had been “just one” recorded incident of disorder, which was disputed by Coun Siddons, and said that anything happening outside the ground did not fall under the football club’s control.
Coun Siddons said that as the council owned the ground it had a duty to address residents’ concerns.
The leader of the council, Derek Bastiman, said Coun Jenkinson would set up a meeting with the police and football club to discuss ways forward. Any action outside of the stadium would need to be taken by North Yorkshire Police.
A warning was put out to fans following Scarborough’s first game back home in July, with fans being told they would be banned from the ground if they were caught acting in an anti-social manner.
The situation reached its nadir following the friendly against Leeds United’s Under-23s in July.
In a statement on the club’s website, chairman Trevor Bull said: “We have previously had to mention a problem with fans urinating in people’s gardens and we are saddened to report that this has occurred again prior to our match with Leeds United.
“We would strongly reiterate that anyone we find to have done this at any time will be banned from our matches.”