Ian Clarke Eleven Norwich City fans were arrested after serious trouble broke out after Saturday's 4-0 defeat at Leicester.Police were called to reports of fighting between rival groups of up to 30 supporters at Loseby Lane, a short distance from the Walkers Stadium.

Ian Clarke

Eleven Norwich City fans were arrested after serious trouble broke out after Saturday's 4-0 defeat at Leicester.

Police were called to reports of fighting between rival groups of up to 30 supporters at Loseby Lane, a short distance from the Walkers Stadium.

Buildings were vandalised and some people got minor injuries.

A total of 13 men were arrested for a range of offences, including violent disorder, and Leicestershire Police confirmed 11 were from Norwich. They have been bailed while an investigation continues,

About 3000 Canaries' followers travelled to Leicester - the biggest away turnout for a league match since the team lost 6-0 at Fulham in May 2005 to seal relegation from the Premiership.

Police said a full investigation is underway after Saturday's violence and have appealed to any witnesses to come forward.

They believe some fans left the ground early and went into the city centre.

There was a large police presence in the stadium and there were verbal exchanges between the two sets of fans but no serious signs of trouble and the main disturbances were outside the ground.

Match commander Supt Chris Rollings said: “My officers responded quickly to the incident in Loseby Lane and a short while later a number of people were arrested.

"The majority of fans are law-abiding and peaceful and just want to enjoy the match and support their team and we are determined to stamp out disorder such as this, caused by a small minority.”

Norwich City spokesman Joe Ferrari said: “Obviously any reports of trouble involving fans are extremely disappointing but we will await the outcome of police investigations before commenting further.”

Eye witnesses told the Leicester Mercury newspaper how they had watched as the violence broke out in the area around Loseby Lane and High Street on Saturday afternoon.

Shoppers and traders described how men had taken furniture from a juice bar to use as weapons, before smashing it up on the street.

One witness, who saw men bleeding from facial cuts, described the scene as "scary" and "like something from a film".

A shop worker, who watched the drama unfold, said she saw 20 to 30 men involved, many of whom were hurling bricks from roadworks at each other in Loseby Lane.

Moments later, she saw men walking along the street with cuts to their faces.

She said: "We could hear shouting at the end of Loseby Lane and it made us look out of the window.

"There were men picking up signs outside shops and throwing them.

"We ran out to get our signs because we were worried and managed to get them inside. Then we just shut the door. Then they started picking up bricks and rubbish and throwing them.”

The owner of a business in High Street, who asked not to be named, said: "I saw about 20 people chasing a smaller group of about five or six.

"They were throwing stones at each other and using a chair to hit each other. They were swearing at each other and at shoppers."

Huseyin Hadani, owner of the Majestic Grill, in High Street, had just closed his diner when heard shouting outside at about 4.30pm.

He said: “I saw a dozen, maybe more, men running down the road. They were shouting at each other. I saw one of them banging a board sign from a pub on the ground.

“About half an hour later, there were lots of police - I could hear dogs howling as well and I saw a helicopter overhead.”

Witnesses to the incident should call police on 0116 222 2222 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.