EAST Lancashire football fans have been caught up in the “horrendous” scenes of violence in Marseille on the opening weekend of the Euro 2016 football tournament.

England fans from the area travelled to the south of France ahead of the national team’s first match against Russia on Saturday.

The violence, which has led to many fans being hospitalised, has been condemned by local police and the English FA as well as supporters’ groups.

Paul Salmon, from Blackburn, suffered a small cut in the violence and was left shocked by the speed with which the conflict escalated.

The 35-year-old said: “It erupted from nowhere.

“There was a flashpoint of 10 minutes and we were slap bang in the middle.

“It happened so quick, we did not have time to feel scared, it was pretty horrendous.”

A 16-year-old Three Lions fan is one of six charged following the violence, which left a 50-year-old English fan in a critical condition with severe brain injuries.

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Despite the behaviour of the Russian fans, who fought battles in the streets and charged at England fans in the Stade Velodrome after their 1-1 draw, none have been arrested over the violence.

Brice Robin, chief Marseille prosecutor, said about 150 Russian hooligans had been involved in the trouble, describing them as “hyper violent” and “hyper rapid”.

Meanwhile Uefa has warned England and Russia they face disqualification from the tournament if the widespread violence is repeated.

It was Mr Salmon’s first time away watching England, and he said it was an enjoyable experience apart from the select few involved in the violence.

The procurement manager said: “It was just the idiots.

“We’ve moved onto Nice now and everyone gets on, English fans, Russian fans, French fans.”

Uefa branded the behaviour of both England and Russia fans before and after the match “unacceptable’’ and said it would not hesitate to impose additional sanctions.

However Blackburn Rovers fan Paul Le Clercq criticised the behaviour of the authorities on duty at the game for outdated methods.

The 54-year-old said: “French police were using tactics from the 1980s.

“In the stadium was even worse, stewards were smoking and on their phones looking disinterested, it was unbelievable.

“People were there with their kids, I saw a man begging with someone not to hit him.”

Mr Le Clercq, who works as a chef, cited the behaviour of Russian ultras and the French Marseille ultras as the key contributors to the violence. He said: “What are you supposed to do when there are thugs running at you with knifes and machetes?

“I have been to lots of tournaments, I’ve followed England in Portugal and Germany, I went to the game in Moscow which wasn’t as bad as this. This is by far the worst I have seen.”

Former Lancashire Telegraph journalist Chris Adams is following his native Northern Ireland in France.

He said: "In Nice, I've seen nothing first-hand in the way of trouble between Northern Ireland and Poland fans.

"Both sets of supporters were getting on superbly, although unfortunately some local 'ultras' in Nice started a fight with both sets of fans on Saturday evening.

"The atmosphere in the city has been superb and the local business seem delighted to be hosting us. Some friends of mine went to watch the England game in Marseille and said the tension in the air was noticeably different.

"I've travelled to away games with Northern  Ireland for 11 years and I can honestly say I can't remember seeing our support in better spirits. The trip out to the ground and noise in the stadium were both electric.

"Obviously one of our supporters died in a tragic accident unrelated to the violence, and that has resulted in a more sombre mood ahead of our trip to Lyon on Thursday."