West Ham Take 'Proactive Steps' to Stop Repeats of Crowd Trouble at London Stadium

West Ham United have introduced new measures to improve supporter safety following the unsavoury scenes that overshadowed their last home tie against Burnley.

West Ham United have introduced new measures to improve supporter safety following the unsavoury scenes that overshadowed their last home tie against Burnley.

As Burnley took a 3-0 lead in east London, Hammers fans expressed their dismay by confronting players on the pitch and gathering in front of the Directors' Box in protest. 

There was fighting in the stands and items were thrown in the direction of David Sullivan and David Gold, who were forced to leave their seats for their own safety.

A series of measures have been implemented to ensure the safety of supporters.https://t.co/NekeBq1fcZ

— West Ham United (@WestHam) March 29, 2018

The club have released a statement on their official website, outlining 'proactive steps' they have taken to sure that the incidents do not happen again.

On match days, the London Stadium will house a greater number of police officers and security personnel in order to stop any potential crowd trouble before it escalates too far.

Furthermore, the club are introducing a new 'dynamic pitch response team' after concerns were raised about the amount of time taken for pitch encroachers to be dealt with during the Burnley clash.

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Several security gates will also be in operation to stop fans from entering other areas of the stadium, essentially restricting them to the area of the ground in which they sit. 

A West Ham statement read: "Every ticket holder is an ambassador for this Club and we would like to remind those coming to London Stadium on Saturday of their responsibilities to themselves, their fellow supporters, the team and everyone associated with the Club to support West Ham United in a passionate, respectful manner."

West Ham also confirmed that lifetime bans were issued to fans who invaded the pitch to confront players during the Burnley match. Others were also banned for life as they threw objects, including coins, in the direction of the Directors' Box.