Leeds United‘s Championship title celebrations turned nasty on Sunday as fans threw bottles at police, injuring one female officer.
Two days after their return to the Premier League , after a 16-year absence, was confirmed and a day after they clinched the title, Leeds won at Derby to keep the party going.
City council workers were left to clean up the mess after broken glass, empty beer cans and leftover rubbish littered the streets after a weekend-long party.
Around 7,000 people gathered in the city’s Millennium Square on Sunday as celebrations continued for the third day, where a group of supporters starting thrown bottles at police.
The unnamed Pc suffered “a serious head injury”, with 15 members of the public also hurt. Nine arrests were made, with West Yorkshire Police issuing a warning over further large gathering amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Assistant chief constable, Oz Khan, said: “Throughout the weekend, fans have gathered across Leeds to celebrate the promotion of Leeds United into the Premier League. We have continued to impress upon fans the importance of the Covid19 Government guidance and our approach has primarily remained as one of engagement and encouragement.
“On Sunday (19 July), almost 7,000 people gathered in Millennium Square in Leeds; whilst the vast majority of fans were enjoying themselves and celebrating, there were a small minority of people who began to throw bottles at police officers.
“A female officer suffered a serious head injury and was taken to hospital for treatment, a number of other officers suffered minor injuries and a further 15 members of the public were injured.”
He added: “A total of nine people were arrested for public order offences. The area was cleared by 11.55pm. The safety of fans and the wider public is our primary concern.
In Pictures | Leeds city centre after promotion party | 20/07/2020
“Violence towards police officers will not be tolerated and we deployed an appropriate police response to ensure that the festivities concluded safely.
“It is important to remind the public that we must not lose sight of the fact that Covid19 is still with us and that large gatherings are still not permitted.
