Second night of riots

Portuguese police believe that a hard core of football hooligans are using their children as "shields" to evade detection.

Dozens of children, some as young as two, could be seen with their parents outside bars as hundreds of fans clashed with riot police in the main tourist strip of Montechoro a few miles from Albufeira.

The clashes lasted for several hours and ended with at least 20 England fans in custody. Paramilitary riot squads and mounted police led baton charges against fans during a three-hour standoff that only ended when the whole of the town centre was closed down.

At its height, armed officers were ready to fire rubber bullet rounds and launch CS gas canisters, as dozens of stand-by riot squads were rushed to the scene of the disturbance in unmarked vans. About 400 fans stampeded through the Rua Dos Bares - also known as the Central Strip - hurling bottles and stones at police and over-turning tables and chairs.

Dogs were used to target and bring down known hooligans identified by "spotters" from the British police. A total of 20 people were arrested - all believed to be English - taking the number of those detained over the two days to 32. The escalation of the violence poses a serious threat to England's continued presence at Euro 2004 following Uefa's warning that rioting by fans would result in expulsion for the national team.

Of grave concern is the fact that the violence is now thought to have been planned - rather than a drunken incident as was first thought. Despite a massive security operation by British and Portuguese police, it seems that dozens of hooligan "generals" have made it to the Algarve.

Captain Manuel Jorge, spokesman for the Guardia Nacional, said it was "highly likely" that the riots were masterminded by hooligan "generals" .

"There is very little doubt in my mind that this was deliberate. We have seen the men lurking in the background, directing operations on their mobile phones. We know they are here and they want to cause trouble. This was not simply drunkenness spilling over - it seems it was calculated by a few people behind the scenes."

One witness said racist chanting sparked the eruption of violence outsidethe La Bamba bar. He said: "They all started to look up at a black guy on a balcony above the street and started jeering at him. Then they started to throw bottles and glasses at the balcony. That was when the police intervened and the fans started to fight them. It was definitely being orchestrated by somebody in the background."

English tourist Scott Houghton, 23, described being beaten by baton-wielding police as he tried to flee the town centre. "I was hit repeatedly even though I tried to explain I was causing no harm. This is all being caused by a few morons." On the subject of the hooligans using their children as cover a senior Portuguese police source said: "We believe that a hard core of fans have calculated they are more likely to evade detection if they travel with their children. They are effectively using their children as shields," he said.

Britain banned more than 2,500 known troublemakers from leaving the country before the tournament started.

Jacinta Simao, who works at a café ©n the centre of Montechoro, said one group had even mixed vodka and beer with toddlers' mugs of orange juice.

"They seemed to think it was very funny to give children alcohol. They take children out to bars until 2am and chant and taunt police in front of them."