YOBS and louts who shout racist abuse or expletives at Blackburn Rovers games are being targeted in a new campaign.

But the club has denied reports in national newspapers that plain clothes stewards are secretly tape recording offenders throughout Ewood Park.

And stadium manager Mel Highmore said he was not aware of any fans having their season tickets taken off them for shouting abuse so far this season - though this remains the ultimate sanction for unruly supporters.

Mr Highmore said: "We had an incident two seasons ago where a woman did use a tape recorder and we used the recording against an individual.

"That, to my knowledge, is the only instance when we've done that."

Mr Highmore added that using tape recorders was an option that might be considered in the future but at present the club relied on its own closed circuit TV cameras, stewards and vigilance from members of the public.

Rovers are currently taking part in a national campaign to stamp out racial abuse and obscene language, with posters going up around the ground saying "Keep the passion, lose the language".

Mr Highmore added: "As a last resort we will take away supporters' season tickets but we find it more effective to ask them to move to another stand and prise them away from their peer group, putting them within sight of a steward.

"There's a large percentage of women and children in the ground now and the kind of language that was used say five years ago is no longer acceptable.

"We are not prepared to put up with it."

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