A heavy police presence was seen around Edgar Street for the visit of Stockport County yesterday. Four arrests were made.
Main problem appeared to be after the game when a few supporters of each side caused trouble in the Merton Meadow car park.
Hereford fans in the Len Weston had to leave via the Meadow End corner, to stop them mixing with Stockport fans on Edgar Street BN was told.
'The gate in the fence at the back of the Meadow End (where you can usually get onto Edgar Street) was also closed. The supporters’ coach was parked on the new link road but it looked like trouble kicked off around the bus where Hereford and Stockport fans met. There were plenty of police around though. If anything, it was just a few idiots from both sides. Why the bus wasn’t parked closer to the stand is a good question though.'
West Mercia Police have released the following statement:
"In order to maintain levels of service to Herefordshire communities, West Mercia Police will act on intelligence received when planning and policing an event such as this. West Mercia Police will always prioritise the public, their safety and the safety of staff.
"Responsibility for disorder such as we saw yesterday always lies with those who make the decision to be violent and put innocent people at risk and we will act accordingly and as such, four arrests were made.
"I would like to reassure the local community and the vast majority of peaceful football fans from both Stockport County and Hereford FC who were caught up in the disturbance that we always review our operational procedures to take away any lessons to be learned and this case will be no different.
"I would like to thank fans from both teams who travelled to the game yesterday, for their patience and understanding whilst we dealt with the unusual circumstances where a number of individuals were intent on disrupting what should be a safe and fun family day out."
