Leeds police officers injured as fans leave piles of rubbish
A huge clean-up operation is under way after police officers were injured when thousands of Leeds United fans celebrated their club’s promotion.
One officer suffered a serious head injury during the event, attended by about 7,000 fans, after Leeds’ Premier League promotion after 16 years.
Bottles were thrown at officers and nine people were arrested for public order offences.
Volunteers, including fans, joined council staff in cleaning up the area.
Sunday’s city centre celebrations in Millennium Square came after fans had previously gathered on Friday and Saturday at the club’s Elland Road ground.
The club’s promotion was confirmed on Friday, with its Championship title secured on Saturday after Brentford lost to Stoke.
West Yorkshire Police said a female officer was being treated in hospital after suffering a serious head injury.
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A number of other officers received minor injuries and 15 members of the public were also hurt, it added.
Assistant Chief Constable Oz Khan said the force had continued to impress on fans the importance of Covid-19 precautions, appealing for large gatherings to be avoided and deploying officers to try to ensure the safety of those present.
“Almost 7,000 people gathered in Millennium Square in Leeds; whilst the vast majority of fans were enjoying themselves and celebrating, there were a small minority of people who began to throw bottles at police officers,” he said.
“The safety of fans and the wider public is our primary concern. Violence towards police officers will not be tolerated and we deployed an appropriate police response to ensure that the festivities concluded safely.”
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Danny Lawson/PA Wire
Danny Lawson/PA Wire
Volunteers, including Leeds fans, joined council staff to clean the square up
Nick Moss was one of several fans who decided to help clean-up
Council staff were joined by volunteers, many of them fans, to clean up the area.
Volunteer Nick Moss, who did not attend the event on Sunday, said he was not surprised so many people decided to celebrate.
“Everybody’s been in lockdown, there’s a lot of emotion, it was like a big release for Leeds to get promoted,” he said.
“I saw the mess and thought ‘You know what I am going to come down and volunteer to help’. I am proud to do it, I love Leeds, I love the city, I love Leeds United, it was a natural thing to do.”
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