Watford FC fan group offers to clean up after promotion party

Fans gathered in Watford town centre to celebrate promotion

A Watford FC supporters group offered to pay for a litter clean-up in the town centre after fans celebrated promotion to the Premier League.

Fan group the 1881 Movement made the offer after rubbish was left in the High Street following the Hornets' 1-0 home win against Millwall on Saturday.

A Watford Borough Council Facebook post thanked them and said it was what made the club the "original family club".

It said it did not need to take them up on the offer.

Hertfordshire Police said there was "no disorder, no offences recorded, no injuries reported and no arrests"

Watford's victory on Saturday secured automatic promotion and fans - who have not been allowed in the Vicarage Road stadium under Covid restrictions - gathered in the town centre to celebrate.

Some jumped in the High Street pond and bottles, cans and other litter was strewn around.

Roy Moore, who set up the 1881 Movement in 2013, said he saw the photos from the celebrations when he woke up on Sunday and messaged the council to make the offer on behalf of the group.

A council spokesman said: "There was no extra cost to this clear-up. It was carried out by the team at Veolia who work hard keeping our town centre clean every day."

The council has also thanked Veolia for the "prompt clean-up".

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Hertfordshire Police said there had been "no disorder, no offences recorded, no injuries reported and no arrests".

Ch Insp Ian Grout said the force had "monitored the contained gathering".

"The public quite rightly expect their police force to take action in the event of a large gathering, but in situations such as Saturday we need to continually assess risk to the wider public as well as balance that risk accordingly," he said.

"It is important to note that by law, social distancing and the wearing of masks outdoors cannot be enforced.

"With that in mind, we must ensure we are not serving to exacerbate or provoke a situation that could cause injury to members of the public, or our colleagues, as a result of our actions.

He said he would be meeting with the council and the football club to "evaluate the weekend's events".

Empty bottles and cans were left in the High Street pond

Watford Borough Council thanked Veolia for "all their hard work and the prompt clean-up"