A HUGE fight broke out between more than 150 rival football fans at Bolton railway station -- leaving dozens of passengers terrified.

More than 100 Wanderers supporters are believed to have spilled out of nearby pubs to fight with a 60-strong Manchester United mob following the teams' 1-1 draw at the Reebok Stadium.

There were 12 arrests, including one for possession of an offensive weapon, following the battle and one man was taken to hospital with a head injury.

Rail staff cowered behind their counters and passengers looked on in terror as United fans got off a train from Manchester and charged across a walkway from the platform below.

They were met by a crowd of Wanderers fans and a brawl broke out.

The station was a scene of chaos following the fighting, with blood splattered across the floor and walls.

Scores of newspapers were taken from the stands of the station's newsagent and scattered across the ground. Phones were ripped from kiosks and fittings from the walls. Staff at the newsagents were too shocked to speak after the incident.

Dozens of police officers, who arrived on the scene within minutes, regained control at around 3.45pm. Afterwards, two fans with bruised and blooded faces were handcuffed by officers and held in a police van on Trinity Street.

Two elderly woman alighting from trains at the station had to be helped through the debris by police.

One onlooker, who asked not to be named, said: "The United fans came running out of the station as the Bolton fans came pouring in.

"They fought in the foyer and then back along the passage way. It was terrifying."

Services from the station were cancelled as around 25 United fans were held on a train and police used hand-held video cameras in an attempt to identify those involved in the disturbances. Shopper Sue Littleton, aged 38, from Horwich, was unable to catch her train after arriving at the station following the violence.

She said: "What kind of animals behave like this? It is an absolute disgrace.

"I am so glad I wasn't here when it happened and feel terrible thinking about those who were.

"I didn't think things like this happened any more -- how wrong I was."

During the game at the Reebok, one man was detained for running on the pitch.

Paul Fletcher, who runs the Clifton Arms in Newport Street, near the railway station, said there was no trouble at his pub.

He said: "The pub was packed and there was a brilliant atmosphere. The police did a great job. There were police vans and cars parked outside."

Police chiefs had gone to great lengths to avoid any trouble after receiving intelligence that gangs were planning to descend on undisclosed premises and cause disorder.

Talks were held with licensees in the run-up to the game and most pubs in the town centre closed in the afternoon. Some near the station were allowed to open to Bolton fans only.

Despite the rioting at the railway station, Supt Alan Green, from Bolton police, believed the police operation was a success and the closure of many pubs had kept the trouble to a minimum.

He said: "The only incident was at the railway station where there was a skirmish between rival fans.

"This was an isolated incident.

"Some money was also stolen from the newspaper kiosk at the station. There were a number of arrests.

"We are disappointed that the incident at the station happened, but overall we managed to contain a very tense situation.

"The majority of supporters were well behaved, it was just a small minority."

There was also trouble at the York-Bury match. Violence broke out between rival fans after the game and police made seven arrests.