22 HELD IN DERBY BATTLES

POLICE made 22 arrests during running battles between football fans after Sunday's Edinburgh derby.

Trouble flared between crowds of football casuals in the west of the city after the 2-2 draw.

Five people were arrested at the Fountain Bar in Fountainbridge before another 17 were lifted near Diggers in the Ardmillan area of the capital.

Diggers bar was forced to close its doors as dozens of fans fought in the street.

A worker at the Fountain Bar, who asked not to be named, said: "There were about 50 Hibs fans drinking in the bar yesterday.

"We are mainly a Hearts pub but we welcome both sets of fans.

"The Hibs fans ran from the pub after they heard about a group of Hearts fans in the area. They were running towards Diggers.

"There were five or six police vans outside our pub for a couple of hours and we shut our doors at about 10pm."

A police spokeswoman said: "The level of disruption and disorder was disappointing. It puts a strain on police resources.

"There was a significant level of bad behaviour but it was dealt with robustly."

Taken from the Daily Record