Fans go on the rampage

Football endured a night of shame in north London last night when sustained trouble between Tottenham and West Ham fans led to 80 arrests and three wrecked pubs around White Hart Lane.

Roads leading to the ground were closed off as hundreds of police officers drafted in for the Carling Cup third round tie struggled to keep rival supporters apart.

Trouble had been simmering since lunchtime and finally erupted shortly before 4pm in and outside pubs in the locality.

By the time darkness fell, ugly skirmishes around the Park Lane end of the ground needed the attention of two police helicopters and extra officers, who had been ferried in at siren-wailing speed along the North Circular Road that links north and east London.

The violence had been quelled by kick-off time and the match - which was won 1-0 by Spurs through Bobby Zamora's first goal for the club in the first minute of extra-time - passed off without any further incidents.