The bill would see banning orders extended to cover Scotland

Russell Brown said football banning orders had been "extremely effective" in reducing football violence.

However, he said any restrictions imposed in England and Wales were, at present, "unenforceable" in Scotland.

He said this meant known football hooligans were free to travel to games in the likes of Gretna and Dumfries.

Football banning orders were introduced in England and Wales in 2000.

Scotland followed suit six years later.

Effectively it means that a known football hooligan banned from matches in Carlisle can freely travel to and attend a match just over the border in Gretna or Dumfries to potentially reap havoc Russell Brown MP

Bans last between two and 10 years, with a breach of any order carrying a penalty of up to six months in prison and a �5,000 fine.

However, while Scottish bans extend south of the border the same is not true in reverse.

The Dumfries and Galloway Labour MP tabled his Football Spectators and Sports Grounds Bill to the House of Commons on Tuesday.

"Football banning orders have been extremely effective across the UK in helping to bring the level of football-related violence arrests down to a record low," he said.

"But it is a concern, particularly in the south of Scotland, that this loophole exists.

"Effectively it means that a known football hooligan banned from matches in Carlisle can freely travel to and attend a match just over the border in Gretna or Dumfries to potentially reap havoc."

He said he hoped that by closing the loophole it would prevent Scotland from becoming a base for banned hooligans from England and Wales.