England and Wales fans hit by booze ban for Lens clash

ByEurosport

Updated 24/05/2016 at 16:46 GMT

England and Wales fans hoping to party in Lens next month will have to do without alcohol after the tiny French city slapped a booze ban on the potentially troublesome fixture between the British rivals.

There is a 24-hour ban on alcohol in place between 6am on Thursday June 16 until 6am the next day due to the threat of drunken hooligans hitting Lens amid a contingent of half a million fans travelling to France from England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Fans without a ticket for the match have been urged to avoid Lens with police checking arriving fans to make sure they don’t have alcohol.

British Police have told fans to head for Lille or another city with a fan zone to watch the match.

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FOOTBALL England fans hold beers

Image credit: Imago

Fans with tickets will only be able to drink in official fan zones before and after the match as Police monitor the conduct of supporters.

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With Euro 2016 coming only months after the attacks on Paris, taking preventitive measures against the prospect of a terrorist attack is the major priority for security forces.

In such an atmosphere, Police are expected to take a tough stance on football hooliganism by pushing for quick convictions against trouble-makers.

The stadium in Lens holds around 41,000 – around 4,000 more than the population of the town.

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