A PIONEERING scheme to stamp out football hooliganism was introduced at the County Ground last night.

Town's match against Port Vale made history as for the first time fans could text a police officer if there was any trouble.

The Blow the Whistle on Anti-Social Behaviour scheme was a joint initiative to crack down on soccer thugs between the club, the police and mobile phone company Orange. An article in the match programme highlighted the new crime-fighting tool and in future it will be on advertising boards around the ground.

Jonathan Rose, head of community affairs at Orange UK, said: "Orange are delighted to support this innovative use of mobile phone technology to assist Swindon Town FC and Wiltshire police to identify and deal with

potential problems quickly and efficiently. It is a simple system yet we believe it will be a valuable tool in tackling these important issues."

Supporters will also be able to discreetly send a text message regarding any anti-social actions for the rest of Town's home games to 07875 158 864.