Nottinghamshire police have defended their decision to try to close more than 30 pubs to prevent trouble ahead of Nottingham Forest's game with Millwall.

The move to shut bars near the ground during the day of the match has been criticised by some landlords.

Nottinghamshire police have sent letters to publicans telling them they believe there is a high risk of violence surrounding Forest's fixture with Millwall on 9 February.

They are seeking to close pubs near the ground between 1030 GMT and 1800 GMT.

Loss of earnings

Chris Holmes - the chairman of the Tynemill chain which is involved with three pubs affected - said he thinks the closures are unnecessary.

He said: "We all lose money obviously but the real principle is that people think that football is more important than anything else.

"Thousands of people who come to our pubs on a Saturday normally regardless of the football match will be inconvenienced.

"There's also a loss of earnings for all our part-time staff."

Public protection

"If there's such a great risk of violence the event shouldn't take place," he added.

The police say their aim is to protect the public and ensure the safety of bars in the area.

They have asked pub managers who are concerned to contact them.

Chief Inspector Mark Holland said: "It's part of a co-ordinated approach as we've got a midday kick-off.

"We've got about 270 police officers on duty.

"The reason why we chose these premises is intelligence that shows where some of the prominent hooligans meet.

"Also we know that Millwall will travel by train mainly so it's including that area and then obviously the area going down towards the ground."