BURNLEY Football Club is in the top six when it comes to fans being banned from games.

Police issued 51 banning orders on Clarets hooligans last season, the sixth highest in the Coca Cola Championship.

Above them are Cardiff City with 160, Stoke City on 126, Millwall at 89, Sheffield United on 64 and Coventry City on 56.

The high-number is the result of a focused crackdown by police over the past 18 months, funded by the Home Office.

Local rivals Blackburn Rovers had 20 fans banned, putting them third from bottom in the Premiership rankings.

Police are now applying to the courts to ban 12 more people from Burnley and six from Blackburn. Inspector Judith Finney said: "We have taken a pro-active approach to tackling football-related criminality.

"Our message to anyone intent on causing trouble at matches or near grounds is that we will deal with them robustly. "

Nationally, the number of banning orders issued last season increased by 45 per cent, while the number of arrests fell by 10 per cent.

Insp Finney added: "Arrest levels remain low and the vast majority of matches remain trouble-free."

Home Office Minister Caroline Flint said: "These statistics paint a very encouraging picture. However, the statistics reflect a lingering, if small, disorder problem."

"We will continue to ensure maximum use of the banning order legislation by providing funding to target hooligans."