FIVE England fans, four from the Burnley area, have spent more than a week in an Austrian jail after soccer hooligans went on the rampage following the team's 2-1 victory in Slovakia.

The travelling supporters were due to fly into Manchester last night after being given a five-month suspended jail term and fined £1,000 each by a court in Vienna.

Engineers Nathan Barras, 27, from Burnley, and Peter Dyer, 43, from Haworth, as well as welder Daniel Allot, 21, from Burnley, factory worker Andrew McNee, 18, from Rossendale, and jobless Paul Hartley, 18, from Burnley, all admitted destruction of public and private property but escaped assault charges.

The case prompted the president of the Slovak Football Association to accuse England of being a nation of football hooligans.

The day before the game on October 12 two England fans ended up in hospital after being shot by private security guards in the Slovak capital Bratislava.

All shops and restaurants in the city shut early, which meant many of the fans made the 45 minute journey by taxi to neighbouring Vienna to celebrate the victory by drinking into the early hours.

Prosecutor Astrid Blasbichler told a Vienna court where the five fans were on trial that the Sunday morning violence had not been expected.

She said: "Austrian police were not prepared for this mass influx and trouble started at about 4am on Sunday when the pubs closed."

She said that gangs of fans had ripped up road signs and wooden fence posts and had used them to rampage through central Vienna, smashing cars and shop windows causing thousands of pounds worth of damage before coming face to face with police.

All of the accused told the court they could remember nothing apart from waking up the next day in police custody, although the court heard McNee had started crying after he was locked up.

When asked if they had been drinking heavily Nathan Barras told the court: "I had been drinking from 11am on Saturday, until 4am Sunday".

Peter Dyer added: "I had drunk about eight pints, four or five vodkas with Red Bull, and something strong that came in little green bottles."

When police swooped the court heard that the two teenagers McNee and Hartley had tried to run away and had hidden under a table.

Slovakia has also been under fire for the behaviour of its fans and faced a UEFA enquiry for the alleged racism when Emile Heskey and Ashley Cole were subjected to racist taunts by home fans.

But defending the home crowd Slovak, FA President Frantisek Laurinec said if his country were going to be branded a nation of racists, the English would have to be labelled a nation of hooligans.

"I don't agree that we are a nation of racists, but if we are we would have to label English people as a nation of hooligans."

Today Peter Pike, Burnley MP, said: "All football fans whether they go to matches in the UK or abroad should remain in control of their behaviour.

"The simple message is if people can't cope with drinking alcohol then they shouldn't do it.

"This reflects badly on Britain and on Burnley and people should express more caution when they drink. Most people know how drink effects them but I would always urge people to drink in moderation.

"If they are Burnley fans then they will be dealt with by the club accordingly. The club has a policy that if any fan is found guilty of a football related crime they will be banned and that is the rule.

"Some people may think it is harsh but on the other hand we can't allow a minority of people to spoil it for everybody else."

A spokesman for Burnley Football Club said: "As yet we have not received any notification of the court hearing, but if we do receive any information in realtion to it then we will take any necessary action."