Britons have passports seized at borders to stop trouble at Euro 2016

SIX football fans suspected of plotting trouble at Euro 2016 have been stopped from travelling to France by British police acting as spotters at ports.

Kent Police said specialist officers at the county's gateways have screened more than 4,000 passengers to try to prevent disorder at the tournament.

Four people were issued with court orders under Section 21A of the Football Spectators Act on Wednesday and a fifth on Thursday.

Hearings at Folkestone Magistrates' Court were adjourned into four of the men — a 24-year-old from Southampton, one aged 22 from Middlesbrough, one aged 27 from Stockport and a 26-year-old from Shropshire.

All were ordered to surrender their passports until after the championship final on July 10, a Kent Police spokesman said.

The fifth man, a 48-year-old from Darlington, failed to appear at court and he was issued with a three-year banning order in his absence.

We want Euro 2016 to be remembered for all the right reasons
Alison Roden
Meanwhile, a sixth man, aged 25, from Shepshed, Leicestershire, also appeared in court after being arrested at the Port of Dover on suspicion of breaching his bail conditions. His case was adjourned until after Euro 2016.

Chief Superintendent Alison Roden, of Kent Police, said: "We want Euro 2016 to be remembered for all the right reasons and not for the actions of a minority intent on causing trouble in France.

"We are therefore taking all the necessary steps to ensure anyone who poses a high risk of creating disorder during the tournament is not allowed to travel."

British travellers using the Port of Dover have been warned that French officials are refusing to allow vehicles carrying alcohol to cross its borders.

Extra security checks by France to prevent trouble at the tournament have led to some delays for cross-Channel passengers.