POLICE want the licence to be taken away from a landlord alleged to have ignored an order to close his pub.

Brian Price was ordered to shut the Hare and Hounds in Market Street, Stoneclough, to prevent football hooligans drinking there before the Manchester United game with Bolton Wanderers last Saturday.

Police tracked around 80 United fans from the pub to Kearsley railway station before 11am on Saturday and escorted them to the Reebok.

Many of them are believed to be the same hooligans who were later involved in a huge fight with about 100 Wanderers supporters at Trinity Street station, resulting in 12 arrests and damage to the station foyer.

After the brawl, many of the United fans involved are said to have returned to the Hare and Hounds and tried to get in again.

It is understood that an argument broke out when police told Mr Price not to allow them back in. This led to him being arrested, cautioned for being drunk and disorderly and served with an order to shut the pub for the rest of the day.

It is believed that after being released, Mr Price re-opened the pub in contravention of police instructions.

Supt Alan Green of Bolton Police said: "I'm not going to be able to comment on this matter or go into the details because we are going for a revocation of his license."

But yesterday Mr Price said he had not heard anything from the police about the move to revoke his licence.

He said: "I know nothing about that. They told me that everything was finished."

The landlord insisted that while troublemakers had attempted to enter the pub, the only people in there were families enjoying a quiet drink.

"I know the police have a job to do but I think they went overboard," he said.

Police chiefs had received intelligence before the game that rival gangs were planning to rendezvous at undisclosed premises and cause disorder.