A 26-YEAR-OLD Blackburn Rovers fan who set off a flare during the final game of the season has been banned from attending football matches for the next three years.

Blackburn magistrates heard that when Rovers scored in the 19th minute of the game against Wigan Athletic, smoke emerged from the stand at the Dar-wen End of the ground.

Catherine Allan, prosecuting, said the actions of Scott Daniel Morris could have had serious consequences at the game, which was attended by 16,996 fans.

She said: “A flare going off in a packed stand could cause panic, and people could have been injured, or even worse.”

Morris, of Wolseley Street, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to possessing a firework at a sporting event.

He was fined £200, ordered to pay £105 costs, and made subject to a football banning order for three years.

Imran Hussain, defending, said his client had started watching Rovers when he was taken by his dad as a youngster, and had been a season ticket holder for many years.

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He said: “This incident was completely out of character. He didn’t appreciate the seriousness of what he was doing.

“He thought he would get thrown out, and maybe get a slap on the wrist.

“He didn’t think about a football banning order.”

The Ewood Park game ended 4-3 in favour of Rovers.

A club spokesman said: “Blackburn Rovers fully supports the court’s ruling in this case, and it serves as a stark reminder to the seriousness of these dev-ices and the potential dangers that they pose.”