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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Kelley Price

Thugs stamp on punter's head as beer garden descends into chaos during Euro 2020 final

A beer garden descended into chaos as football yobs attacked a punter during England's nail-biting game against Italy on Sunday.

'Sickening' CCTV footage shows a man desperately trying to escape amid a mob of around 60 to 70 people smashing drinks.

The group had turned up at Thornaby Sports & Leisure Club, in Stockton-on-Tees, as the Euros final went into extra time - and left a 'sea of glass' in their wake when they were refused entry.

They had already been kicked out of another pub for their behaviour and turned on one unlucky customer at the venue.

The man was thrown to the ground and stamped in the head as shocked punters tried to intervene and save him, Teesside Live reports.

Club owner Peter Scott said: "It got to halfway through extra time, they had been chucked out of another pub so they all descended.

"The match was still on, they couldn't get inside our club as it was full.

"I wasn't there due to having to isolate, but when I ran the CCTV back I was shocked at what happened.

"People were trying to stop them.

"They left a sea of glass across my car park.

"They didn't come inside the building at all, it all happened outside".

Bouncers were forced to ring police and barricade customers and staff inside to protect them from the violence.

Officers in riot vans eventually arrived to break up the mayhem.

"I can't control that amount of people if they all turn up at once," Peter said.

"All the bouncers could do to protect staff and people inside was close the doors, which they did - and then rang the police.

"It was a once in a lifetime event, everybody had a good night apart from these two or three people who just wanted to come down and have a fight.

"It was a fantastic night, spoiled by a minority outside.

"We had all three rooms showing the match, everybody had a great night."

The club was "about to close" for good before lockdown lifted but now it's thriving again - and Peter said he "refuses to let idiots ruin it".

"(As) with any popular pub, you get idiots coming in," he said.

"We want to make sure they never come back."

A Cleveland Police spokeswoman said they received a report on Sunday around 10.50pm of an "ongoing disturbance" in the car park.

She added: "However, on police arrival, there was nothing ongoing and no complaints were made."

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