POLICE admit they are powerless to take further action against a known football hooligan after he was deported from Belgium during crowd trouble at Euro 2000.

However, Lee Owens could be banned from the home ground of his favourite team, Middlesbrough FC.

Owens, 35, a father-of three, of Hardwick, Stockton, was arrested by Belgium riot police in Brussels when violence flared among fans on Saturday.

A Cleveland Police spokesman said yesterday: "Lee Owens was deported from Belgium on June 19 without charges being made.

"He has not been charged with an offence and has not committed an offence in the Cleveland force area, so we cannot bring any charges against him."

Owens, known as "Oat Head", was unavailable for comment yesterday about being deported. He is thought to have told his family that he was defending himself against an attack by the Turkish fans.

It is believed his name is on the international register of known football hooligans, following a one-year ban from English football grounds, but he still managed to evade immigration controls and travel to Euro 2000.

During the 1980s, the unemployed, 20-stone man was known as a violent skinhead and belonged to a gang called the Stockton Wrecking Crew.

A Boro club spokesman said: "I can't talk specifically about this one case, but anyone who has been involved in football violence in any way will be severely restricted and possibly banned from our ground.

"Middlesbrough has a reputation as a peaceful ground with little history of trouble. We have succeeded in attracting a large number of families here because they trust us to look after them, and we don't wan to do anything to jeopardise this."

l Football fans travelling to last night's England's Euro 2000 clash with Romania may have fallen victim to a multi-million pound rail ticket scam.

Detectives have uncovered a huge racket involving forged tickets which have been circulated at stations including Newcastle and Durham.

Supporters have been told to buy their tickets only from reputable travel agents or rail travel outlets