Peterborough United fans heading to Bristol issued with terrorism warning by Rovers ahead of Saturday

Safety staff at Bristol Rovers’ Memorial Stadium will be carrying out increased checks and bag searches after advice from the National Counter Terrorism Unit.

A statement on Bristol Rovers’ club website, said: “Bristol Rovers fan in particular have been advised to arrive early to future home games due to an increased level of vigilance at the Memorial Stadium”.

The club go on to say that it will not let the threat or fear of terrorism unnecessarily impact on the enjoyment of football.

Safety officer at the Memorial Stadium, Dave Parker, said: “We have been asked several times if, due to the heightened terrorism threat if we will allow bags etc. to be brought into the Memorial Stadium at future matches particularly by away fans.

“We have been in contact with the National Counter Terrorism Security Officers and have listened to their advice.

“We do not intend to allow terrorism, or fear of terrorism, to impact unnecessarily on our match day operations at the Memorial Stadium. Therefore we will continue to allow bags and rucksacks etc. to be brought into the Stadium. However, the safety stewards will increase their level of vigilance at the stadium to ensure public safety and confidence.

“Therefore, we will undertake an increased number of bag searches etc. With that in mind, I would advise all fans to arrive at the stadium earlier than usual and to be prepared to accept that safety stewards may ask to look into any bags or rucksacks and also ask spectators to open bulky jackets.”

The club said it does not want to alarm fans and there has been no specific threat made against the Memorial Stadium .