A Kingston man has described seeing fellow fans charged at by Russian football hooligans at Marseille’s Stade Velodrome at Euro 2016 on Saturday and being forced to clamber over barriers to escape.

Sam Blackwell, 34, flew to France on Friday with two friends to watch England face Russia in their opening match of the European Championships.

But the occasion was marred by violence between supporters leading up to the game, which culminated in Russian fans seemingly rushing at England supporters in one stand at full-time.

Mr Blackwell, of Wood Street, said: “There was nowhere to run away to. There were probably about 70 rows, I was in row 60.

“People were just climbing over the barriers into the tunnel, that was the only way out they could find.

“I saw a lot of stuff flying backwards and forwards. There were people who had taken their T-shirts off and wrapped it over their face so you couldn’t see them.

“There was a few England fans who tried to stand their ground and didn’t stand a chance.

“I can’t imagine what it must have been like for the people down below, it must have been a nightmare.”

Ten people were arrested following three days of fan clashes in Marseille, with six of those British and none Russian.

One England fan, named today as 51-year-old Andrew Bache, is in an induced coma after reportedly being hit several times with an iron bar.

Mr Blackwell flew home the day after the match, which ended in a 1-1 draw, and said the clashes “ruined” the experience, having spent between £500 and £550 to journey to the southern seaport.

He added: “We knew [there would be trouble] in the lead-up to the game, but we didn’t think anything would be happening in the stadium.

“It meant we really couldn’t enjoy Marseilles, that ruined the whole thing. If that wouldn’t have happened at the end it would have been a great day.”

The violence, which was captured on TV cameras around the ground, has led to UEFA issuing a warning to both the English and Russian football federations that further violence could lead to disqualification.

Security has been significantly heightened for the tournament, with France still on high alert following the terror attacks in Paris last year.

England manager Roy Hodgson and team captain Wayne Rooney have issued an appeal for calm amongst supporters ahead of the match against Wales on Thursday.

Mr Blackwell said: “The talk before the tournament was the threat of ISIS but now it’s just the threat of fans.

“A lot of people are just blaming the English, they are saying it’s what we deserve and stuff like that.

“In the ground itself there was no provocation - some fans in the stadium were just kids. It’s frustrating to read all the reports.”