A HIGH-RANKING police officer today praised the Lancashire Evening Telegraph for helping in the fight against football hooligans.

Chief Inspector Richard Morgan said the newspaper had played a major role in a police crackdown on violence among soccer thugs who claim to support Burnley Football Club.

He said articles published about Operation Fixture, a police initiative launched to crack down on troublemakers at Turf Moor, were regularly posted on an internet chatroom by suspected football hooligans.

And Chief Inspector Morgan said the coverage had put hooligans off causing trouble on match days.

"This operation is all about raising the threat of action against football hooligans. The press coverage in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph is a major contributory factor to the operation's success."

As part of the crackdown, a heavy police presence was posted in Burnley town centre before Tuesday's derby game with Preston at Turf Moor.

Hooligans from both towns also received hand-delivered letters warning them about the operation.

Police said many decided to stay away from the match after receiving the letters and also reading about Operation Fixture in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph and through articles posted on the internet chat room.

Only one arrest was made during the match, compared with 25 when the two sides met at Deepdale last November. More than 100 arrests have been made since the launch of Operation Fixture.

Chief Inspector Morgan added: "There was only one arrest at Burnley's game against Preston and I put that down to the disruptive tactics of Operation Fixture. There has been a real rise in the threat of action against those people we know have engaged in football violence.

"The rise in the number of arrests this year does not indicate a rise in incidents, rather an increase in our commitment to persecute behaviour that is considered to be unacceptable.

"It is fantastic that the awareness of the problem has been raised by the Lancashire Evening Telegraph. A Preston North End hooligan wrote on the website saying all the hooligans over there had been given letters from the police and he was going to stay away from the match."

Operation Fixture will carry on targeting hooligans for the rest of the season, during the closed season and through the 2003-2004 campaign. Burnley Police was given Home Office funding of £170,000 towards its cost.

Chief Inspector Morgan continued: "One of the main objectives for us is to hurt these people and expose them. I want to break the cloak of anonymity these people enjoy.

"Many hold down good jobs and their families are unaware of what they get up to. People should log on to this website and have a look at what they are saying to each other.

"It is pathetic and obscene and the sooner they desist in this behaviour the better for us all.

"They are not big, handy lads. They are just thugs. I want to end this mystique they have. They are just idiots intent on spoiling it for the majority."