More than 300 people have been arrested following the worst violence of the 2006 World Cup so far, when drunken German and Polish fans clashed in the centre of Dortmund.

Trouble flared in the city ahead of the Germany-Poland match last night, after fans spent the day drinking in a public square.

Hundreds of riot police were deployed as thugs threw bottles and chairs at police and each other in Dortmund’s Alter Markt.

The problems began when riot police moved in to the square to arrest a group of known German hooligans, including skinheads and some with neo-Nazi tattoos, who had been identified by spotters.

The police were met by groups of German fans chanting and throwing bottles. Other groups of drunken supporters also attacked the police.

Dozens were arrested, cuffed with plastic ties and placed in two large green prison buses. At least one had facial injuries.

Then, as large numbers of fans moved towards the nearby Friedens-Platz, where a giant screen was about to show the game, there were several small fights between Polish and German fans who threw bottles and punches at each other.

Several German fans, one draped in a national flag, were wrestled to the ground by police, handcuffed and placed in the prison vans.

Later, special police units, armed and dressed in black body armour and balaclavas, chased hooligans through the city’s main square, the Hansa-Platz, and side streets.

Police took a no-nonsense approach which contrasted with the “softly, softly” tactics used to deal with rowdy England supporters in Frankfurt last week.

At a press conference in the early hours of this morning Hans Schulze, head of police in Dortmund, said: “In the square we tried to arrest some known people and other hooligans tried to free them. That was a difficult situation”.He added that most fans were there to have a good time but that unfortunately, there were also a lot of fans who were aggressive and violent.

“We had a lot of work to do but I think we managed. I think it was a very difficult day for police but we handled it.”

He said roughly half of those arrested were Germans and half Polish.