Police make six arrests after crowd trouble at The Hawthorns

Six arrests have been made following Sunday's disorder during West Brom's FA Cup defeat to rivals Wolves — with police vowing more will follow.  

Play in the Black Country derby at The Hawthorns was suspended for more than half an hour after trouble flared in the stands and fans spilled onto the pitch. 

West Midlands Police detailed the nature of the arrests in an update issued this morning, revealing that one person was arrested for brandishing a corner flag as a weapon and two others for assaulting officers. 

Chief inspector Tim Robinson said: “What we saw yesterday was completely unacceptable violence directed at both fans and officers, which sadly led to the suspension of the game.

"No football fan wants to see that. It's important to stress, however, that it was very much a minority of fans involved in the trouble and the vast majority of supporters were a credit to their clubs. 

"Our policing operation was very much targeted against those who we know or suspect are involved in football violence and our priority at all times is keeping people safe. 

"A number of officers have been injured and we have already started the process of reviewing evidence, including body-worn video and CCTV, to ensure we identify and arrest all of those involved over the coming days and weeks. 

"We'll be working with both clubs and the FA. Those involved in the disorder can expect to receive club bans and wider football banning orders."

Police said that of the six arrested, four were West Brom fans and two were associated with Wolves. All have since been bailed while investigations continue.