World Cup thugs to go in back of the net

Japanese police have unveiled a new weapon to catch "wild" football fans at the World Cup.

Unruly England supporters who travel to Sapporo could find themselves ensnared by a giant net gun. Formerly the stuff of superhero comics, the device is said to be capable of catching and immobilising several hooligans at once.

Masahisa Tamura, a press officer at the Sapporo police headquarters, said: "Anyone going wild will be trapped under a net and they won't be able to move.

"I've heard that something similar has been used in Europe, but we've developed this especially for the World Cup." Sapporo will host two World Cup games, including England's showdown with Argentina on 7 June. Work on the net gun is continuing but Mr Tamura said enough of them should be ready in time. Japanese officials have said England's matches at the finals will be more heavily policed than others.

England's fans have gained massive notoriety following the clashes at the World Cup in France in 1998 and the 2000 European Championships in Belgium.

Squads of highly trained, heavily armed police and security forces in Japan have been in training camps for months to deal with hooligans at the World Cup, which will be co-hosted with South Korea.