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Angry relatives of Hillsborough victims slated Tory sport minister Jeremy Hunt yesterday - after he blamed fans for the disaster.

The blundering Culture Secretary was branded "an ignorant disgrace" following his crass remarks over the 1989 tragedy which left 96 Liverpool supporters dead.

And he was later forced to issue a grovelling apology for comments he made in a TV interview.

Mr Hunt was praising the behaviour of England World Cup fans in South Africa when he blurted out: "I mean, not a single arrest for a football-related offence, and the terrible problems that we had in Heysel and Hillsborough in the 1980s seem now to be behind us."

His words sparked outrage on Merseyside - especially after a 1990 official inquiry led by the late Lord Justice Taylor found that police crowd control was the main cause of the horrific crush at the Sheffield Wednesday stadium.

In an attempt to limit the damage, Mr Hunt issued a statement saying: "I know that fan unrest played no part in the terrible events of April 1989.

"I apologise to Liverpool fans and the families of those killed and injured if my comments caused any offence."

But Margaret Aspinall, chairwoman of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, said his apology was too late.

She said: "I am fed up of people saying things like that. For 21 years we have been fighting for justice, to get the message out that it was not down to drink or hooliganism.

"He is the Culture Secretary. He should know better. I want him to understand that he has re-opened old wounds which should have healed many years ago."

Labour MP Derek Twigg told the Commons: "This is a disgrace. I've spoken to some of the families who lost loved ones at Hillsborough - and they're deeply distressed and angry."

Labour leadership contender Andy Burnham, who led a campaign to release confidential Hillsborough documents, added: "It's depressing to hear a Cabinet minister make this remark. It shows a casual ignorance about one of the biggest man-made disasters this country has ever seen. We have been through this many times, and I thought we had gone beyond it."

A Downing Street spokeswoman said last night: "The Prime Minister has full confidence in Mr Hunt, who has apologised for his remarks."

Voice of the Mirror: Page 10