Arrests after West Ham v Middlesbrough violence

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West Ham's London StadiumImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Saturday's game against Middlesbrough ended in a 1-1 draw

Three people have been arrested after rival fans clashed outside West Ham's new London Stadium.

Violence flared after the Hammers' 1-1 Premier League draw with Middlesbrough on Saturday afternoon.

Two men were arrested on suspicion of affray and a third on suspicion of assaulting a police officer, Scotland Yard said.

Officers were also deployed inside the stadium during the match to deal with a separate disturbance, the Met said.

However, it was "quickly dealt with", the force said, and no arrests were made.

Police escorted Middlesbrough fans away from the stadium while officers contained some West Ham supporters.

'Zero tolerance policy'

A West Ham United spokesperson said they will investigate the incidents.

"This behaviour has no place in football and West Ham United, with cooperation from all London Stadium stakeholders, including the police, Stadium Landlords E20 and Stadium Operators London Stadium 185, will continue to operate a zero tolerance policy on such incidents.

"We must stress that the vast majority of the more than 400,000 supporters who have attended a game at the Stadium since August have behaved impeccably, and we will not let the acts of mindless individuals tarnish their reputation," the club added.

There have been several crowd disturbances since the club moved to the former Olympic Stadium.

At the first Premier League match at the venue - against Bournemouth on 21 August - some fans arrived with tickets for seats that did not exist, while fighting broke out between rival supporters outside the stadium.

West Ham said 10 fans were ejected from the stadium during the 4-2 defeat by Watford last month.

The Met said more than 40,000 people had attended Saturday's match against Middlesbrough, and the "vast majority" had been good natured.

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