WEST Yorkshire Police are hoping to crack down on football-related violence during the World Cup, with figures revealing that 88 fans across the county have been banned from the tournament.

Those who have received banning orders have been forced to hand over their passports to prevent them travelling to Brazil, where the competition gets underway tomorrow.

The orders are imposed by the courts on people who have caused or been involved in football-related violence.

Police will also set up dedicated street patrols in and around town centres across the Bradford district when matches involving England, who kick off their campaign against Italy on Saturday, are being played.

Sue Dawson, Bradford Licensing Officer, said: "Police in the Bradford district are aware of 11pm kick off on Saturday night, and will have appropriate police resources in place in town and city centres for the game."

The force has acted to protect potential victims of domestic violence by focusing on those who may abuse their partners and families during the tournament, with extra resources and specially trained officers on hand to cater for such incidents, said to be reported more frequently on big match days.

In the build-up to England's opening game, officers will visit known offenders across the county and warn them about the consequences of aggressive or violent behaviour.

David Williams, deputy director of operations at the Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, also urged fans to act responsibly during the tournament, while confirming that additional resources would be on-hand during the busiest times of the month-long competition.

“We are not saying people shouldn’t enjoy themselves, but unfortunately ambulance staff have to pick up the pieces following alcohol-fuelled incidents and our valuable life-saving resources are often caught up responding to calls which perhaps could have been avoided," he said.

"The associated risks of heavy drinking can also lead to a rise in assaults, including those against ambulance staff, and a significant increase in incidents involving domestic violence."

Sue Snoddy, manager of Bradford Council's road safety partnership, echoed the call for responsible drinking by revellers watching the action, urging fans to think about how much alcohol could still be in their system the morning after a late match.

"If you have to get up early in the morning to drive to work or for any other journey, make sure there is enough time for any alcohol in your system to dissipate before you get behind the wheel," she said.

"Drink driving can have disastrous consequences for those involved in accidents and even minimum amounts of alcohol can impair everyone’s ability to drive safely.

"If in doubt, don’t drive."

The World Cup begins tomorrow and runs until Sunday, July 13.