A TRIO of drunken football fans ended up in court after rowing with pizza shop workers.

Alan James Davies, Neil John Parry and Martin Waters decided to confront workers at the Babylon Pizza shop in Gladstone Street, Darlington on their way back from watching a football match on Sunday, October 27.

The aggressive confrontation – which arose over wages owed to former worker Parry – led to Davies, 27, threatening to burn the shop down, while 27-year-old Parry kicked work surfaces following a “heated” telephone conversation with the shop’s owner.

Davies and Parry, both of Selbourne Terrace, Darlington, were each fined £200 and ordered to pay costs of £105 after pleading guilty to using threatening behaviour to cause harassment or distress at Darlington Magistrates Court.

Waters, who had the same charge dropped, was bound over to keep the peace for six months, with the court hearing that the 54-year-old, of Aquinas Court, had not made any threats but was part of the group causing problems.

Judge Adrian Lower said: “This was a very distasteful incident which was truly frightening for the people in the pizza shop who are there to serve customers.

“Mr Davies, you made ridiculous comments to staff fuelled by alcohol which they had no way of knowing whether you would make good on.

“People who work in public late at night often have to put up with drunk and aggressive behaviour that is not acceptable.”