Norfolk police have said they had 'nothing out of the ordinary' to deal with last night and in the early hours as England fans packed pubs across the county to watch the national team's World Cup opener.

Both the police and paramedics had put extra staff on duty to cope with what they feared would be a busy night, with so many fans taking in the game in pubs and bars.

Relaxed licensing laws meant pubs could open later to show the game and the late kick off led to concerns that fans would be drinking for longer periods than normal.

Police had called on fans to be 'respectful' to others and said extra officers trained in dealing with public order disturbances had been drafted in for the evening.

There were also be more ambulance staff on the road, as well as in the service's control room.

However, as Roy Hodgson's men went down 2-1 to Italy in Manaus, police said across Norfolk, things had gone as 'well as could be expected'.

A spokesman said: 'There was nothing out of the ordinary. There were only six jobs last night which were tagged as related to football. It went as well as could be expected. We've had busier nights when there's not been football on.'

The government has relaxed licensing laws to allow pubs to stay open late during some England matches. England will be looking to get their World Cup campaign back on track against Uruguay on Thursday.

Summer football trouble has flared in our region previously, with 15 people arrested in Thetford following England's exit from Euro 2004 in Portugal.