Football fans attending England’s fixture against Wales at Euro 2016 next month are to be hit with a 24-hour town centre alcohol ban amid fears the clash of home nations could spark a return of drunken hooliganism.

Police will also be monitoring social media evidence of supporters caught misbehaving on smartphones as part of new measures that could lead to a surge in numbers of banning orders when they return to Britain.

England’s opening game against Russia in Marseille and the match against Wales the next week are of particular concern for a specialist UK police unit, which is expecting 500,000 fans to attend from England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Ticketless fans are being urged to stay away form the small French town of Lens as police plan to check all arrivals to make sure they are not carrying alcohol.

Supporters with tickets for the match will be told they can only drink in the official fan zones before and after games under strict new rules.