FOOTBALL violence erupted at the weekend with a settling of old scores between rival fans.

Five people were arrested and a pub was badly damaged as a result of clashes between Newcastle and Sunderland fans in and around Newcastle Central Station.

The violence began after Sunderland supporters arrived at the station on trains from Edinburgh, where they had been watching the club's pre-season friendly against Hibernian.

A group of Newcastle fans was believed to have been waiting for them in the Centurion bar within the station.

Abuse was shouted and bottles were thrown between the rival groups, before a pitched battle began, which spilled into the bar, at 8.45pm on Saturday.

Police managed to restore order and escort most of the Sunderland supporters on to Metro trains bound for Wearside.

Five men, from the South Shields and Sunderland areas, were arrested in relation to public order and criminal damage offences and were bailed pending further inquiries into the incident.

Centurion bar manager Tracey Viereck was forced to close the premises for an hour-and-a-half to clear up the debris.

She said: "Glasses were being thrown, punches were being thrown, but I had a bar full of terrified people, who got involved in something they were not planning on a Saturday night.

"It went on for about 15 to 20 minutes until they were arrested or cleared away, and then I had to close the bar, which is something I have never done in three years of trading on a Saturday night."

Lothian and Borders Police said the 2,200-plus Sunderland fans were well behaved before, during and after the game at Hibs' Easter Road ground, in Edinburgh.