FOOTBALL fans have hit out at ‘over-aggressive stewarding’ outside one of the stands at Blackburn Rovers’ Ewood Park ground on Saturday.

Supporters entering the Darwen End stand were searched causing long queues outside.

Blackburn Rovers’ stadium manager John Newsham denied there had been increased security at the game, but he said that a new procedure had been tried out.

Prior to the game hundreds of fans took part in protest marches against owners Venky’s.

Mr Newsham said some hold-ups were caused by supporters trying to bring in inflamatory banners into the ground.

Following the problems a number of supporters have written to Rovers’ deputy chairman Paul Hunt, while messageboards have been inundated with messages from unhappy fans.

Wayne Wild, group director of WEC, which sponsors the stand, said he had contacted the club about the issue.

He said: “It is a disgrace. What a way to alienate the customers.If it was every stand then fair enough, but it wasn’t.”

Another Rovers fan, Simon Cook, said: “My son and I walked round the back of the Riverside Stand and it was like border control on the Gaza Strip.

“A steward said to my 11-year-old son, ‘Am I all right to search you?’ and I just grabbed my son and said ‘You’re not touching him’.”

Andy Young, who left Darwen 17 years ago to move to Glasgow, but still does the 400-mile round trip to home games, said the club was losing its ‘family feel’.

He said: “On Saturday I saw male stewards frisking females and young kids being frisked. We seem to be losing that family club feeling.”

Chief Inspector Julian Platt, who was match commander for Lancashire Constabulary at the game, said: “From our point of view, this was one of the quietest games I’ve seen in a while.

“The main focus for searching is at the Darwen End, and I know for a fact Villa fans were searched as we were expecting protests from their fans against their manager.”

Mr Newsham said: “We wish to make it clear that there has been no increase in the level of security for the past five home matches, just the way it is deployed.

“The only difference for the Aston Villa fixture being the introduction of a barrier system, which I have experienced at other stadia for both home and away fans.

“We increased searching levels at the Darwen End for both home and away supporters – not everyone was searched though.”