KNOWN football hooligans in the Bristol area will be targeted by police as they kick off their ports operation ahead of England's Euro 2012 qualifying game in Switzerland next week.

The 60 fans who hold football banning orders (FBO) will be required to surrender their passports to a police station before tomorrow's cut-off date.

The operation comes just a week after a successful prosecution which led to a Bristol football fan being jailed for seven months after breaching a three-year football ban.

Kevin Crehan, 28, of Stockwood Crescent, Lower Knowle, admitted breaching his FBO by being inside the exclusion zone around Ashton Gate before the Bristol City v Millwall match on August 7; being in possession of a sawn-off pool cue shortly after a fight had occurred between City and Millwall fans in Ashton Road; stealing a DVD and failing to report to a police station while the World Cup was being held in South Africa.

He was jailed for seven months and given a six-year FBO, which supercedes his existing three-year FBO.

Force football officer Roger Thayer said: "This should send out a strong message to those who have football banning orders in the Avon and Somerset Police force area that we remain relentless in our efforts to stamp out football-related anti-social behaviour.

"We have 60 people who have FBOs who will be required to hand in their passports – or seek exemptions – to their local police stations by September 3, ahead of England's Euro 2012 qualifying game in Switzerland."

Police will be working with Bristol Airport and will roll out plans ahead of the international game to ensure that potential troublemakers are prevented from leaving the UK using special passport scanning machines.

Mr Thayer added: "Sometimes 'risk fans' from outside this force area may try to fly from Bristol but we will be ready."