NEARLY 2,000 football-related arrests were made in the most recent season - the first increase in three years, new Home Office figures show.

Some 1,895 were made in the period between July 1 2015 and July 10 2016, up one per cent from the previous year when the number was 1,873.

A quarter of these (470) were in connection with Championship matches, the Home Office said.

Overall, the number of football-related arrests has been in decline, with a decrease of around one fifth since the 2011-12 season.

The most common causes for arrest over the last season were public disorder and alcohol offences.

Arrests for violent disorder were the highest in three years, while those related to criminal damage were the highest in four.

While they were the second-highest reason for arrests in the last year, alcohol offences have more than halved in the five seasons the data covers, going from 800 in 2011-12 to 373 in the latest season.

And arrests for racist and indecent chanting remained low, at just 17.

Over an almost identical period, more than 2,000 banning orders for fans were in force, down four per cent from the previous period.

They are preventative measures following a conviction for a football-related offence or a complaint from police or the CPS.

Of the 2,085 in place, 542 were freshly issued over the 2015-16 season, a 12 per cent increase from the previous year but also making it the second consecutive year the total number of orders in place has fallen.

Some 30 per cent of the total number of orders in place were for Premier League club supporters.

As of August 1 2016, the Premier League club with the most banning orders in place for its supporters was Newcastle United with 124 - more than double the number of its closest rival, Chelsea.

The top ten clubs in England and Wales with the highest number of banning orders on August 1 2016 were:

1. Newcastle United - 124

2. Chelsea - 60

3. Millwall - 57

4. Wolverhampton Wanderers - 52

5. Liverpool - 49

6. Burnley - 48

7= Leeds United - 47

7= Bristol Rovers - 47

9= West Ham United - 44

9= Cardiff City - 44