Football fans face pre-match breathalysers

Football fans who “appear drunk” will be required to take breath tests before they are permitted entry into games as part of a bid to reduce “rowdy” behaviour.

If successful, the new scheme may appear at other matches

Cambridge United was the first club to implement the initiative, breathalysing supporters at a recent match against Burton Albion.

Stewards were issued with an Alcoblows device to measure fans who “appeared drunk”, and anyone who registered as twice the legal drink drive limit or more – with 70 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath or higher – was turned away.

If deemed successful, the scheme may appear at Premier League matches and possibly future England games.

Sergeant Ian Wood of Cambridgeshire Police told the Daily Mail: “I hope that the introduction of the devices will help stewards make empowered decisions about who should enter the ground and educate fans about the ramifications of being drunk at sporting events.

“We accept that a responsible fan may consume a moderate amount of alcohol before a game, however, we are focusing on the overly-intoxicated people who are most likely to become problematic during or after the game.”

Police and crime commissioner Sir Graham Bright added: “The trend these days is for people to ‘preload’ with alcohol at home before heading out.

“The result of this can be that people are very drunk towards the end of the evening, putting themselves and others at risk. I want people to enjoy a night out but to do so responsibly.

“Increasingly, the police and the health service are required to deal with the consequences of excessive drinking and I hope this scheme will help reduce the number of people who get into trouble as a result of their drinking.”