Ten arrests made after officers 'pelted with bricks and bottles' at Blues and Villa derby
Ten people were arrested after police were 'pelted with bricks and bottles' as Birmingham City hosted Aston Villa in a derby clash.
Officers mounted a high profile police presence outside St Andrew's for the Second City derby on Sunday afternoon.
Police said there had been 'pockets of disorder' including bricks and bottles being reportedly thrown by Blues fans towards officers outside the ground.
But West Midlands Police said no-one was seriously injured.
The force confirmed there were 10 arrests throughout the afternoon.
Eight people, aged between 15 and 51, were arrested on suspicion of public order offences, a 23-year-old man was detained for allegedly encroaching onto the pitch and a man, aged 25, was held on suspicion of possession of drugs.
Match Commander, Chief Superintendent Steve Graham, said: "There is a lot of passion and emotion connected to the Blues and Villa derby but it was great to see that the vast majority of supporters embraced the occasion and were well-behaved.
"Unfortunately there was some disorder involving a number of the Birmingham fans straight after the game which saw missiles thrown at officers.
"This is completely unacceptable and we were fortunate no-one was seriously hurt.
"This delayed us opening the gates for Villa fans to leave the stadium for over an hour while we cleared the scene near the island.
"We will now be viewing camera footage in relation to this.
"I would like to thank the Villa supporters for their patience and co-operation during the hold back."
