Scotland fans clean up litter after crowds gather in central London

Plastic bags and bottles discarded on street in hours leading up to kickoff

Saturday 19 June 2021 03:25 EDT

Huge amounts of litter in the streets as the Tartan Army gather to watch the England Euro clash

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Scottish football fans helped clean up piles of litter left in central London ahead of the Euro 2020 match against England.

Photographs showed supporters wearing kilts, Scotland shirts and yellow Lion Rampant flags joining the effort in Leicester Square.

The streets were left covered in used plastic bags and drinks bottles after a large crowd of fans - described as “boisterous” by police - descended on the area on Friday.

Other groups gathered in Hyde Park and Kings Cross - despite pleas to avoid the streets of the capital and maintain social distancing - before heading to the pub to watch the game.

Some supporters expressed disappointment that the Covid pandemic meant there were restrictions on large gatherings and fan zones.

Mark Graham said: "It's a pity but it looks like Scotland will make their own fan zones. We've booked a pub for last night and a pub for tonight so we're well prepared."