THE North-East's two biggest clubs continue to head the league of shame for football hooliganism - despite a drop in arrests last season.

Sunderland and Newcastle were among just three Premier League clubs who topped 100 football-related arrests for season 2001/2.

Sunderland clocked up 129 arrests which, although down from 166 the previous season, made its fans the second worst behaved in England and Wales behind Stoke City.

Bitter rivals Newcastle recorded 103 arrests, down from 191 in 2000/1, according to annual figures released by the Home Office on the eve of the new season.

Police said that although the number of football related offences was still too high, the vast majority of fans were well behaved when set against the huge number of people attending matches.

Superintendent Graham Staf-ford, who is responsible for policing at Newcastle, said arrests were largely drink related and the club had seen no incidents of organised violence last season.

Sunderland AFC said it was continuing with a "zero-tolerance" policy at the Stadium of Light. Safety officer John Davidson said: "We will continue to make a firm stand against anti-social behaviour and as a result will continue to lead the field in the number of arrests we make."

The Home Office figures showed that 52 Middlesbrough fans were arrested last season, less than half the number (105) recorded in 2000/1.

Twenty seven Hartlepool fans were arrested last season and just two in and around Darlington's Feethams ground.

Arrests overall across all clubs in England and Wales fell by six per cent to 3,898.

The Home Office said that more banning orders preventing fans from attending games were in place than ever before.

Forty seven have been imposed on North-East football fans from a total of 1,149.

Durham Assistant Chief Constable Ron Hogg, who is the Association of Chief Police Officers spokesman on football, praised the efforts of some clubs in tackling football hooliganism and said he was looking forward with "some degree of comfort" to the new season.