Grimsby Town Female Fans Ordered To Show Bras For Security

Fury as female football fans are ordered to lift up their tops and show their BRAS in front of queues for security checks.....
Female football fans are furious after stewards ordered them to lift up their tops and show off their bras as they queued to get into a match.

Grimsby Town supporters said they suffered a 'gross invasion of privacy' when they visited Stevenage's Lamex stadium over the weekend.

The embarrassed women claimed female stewards asked if they could 'feel' their underwear, during airport-style security checks prior to the Sky Bet League Two match on Saturday.

Supporters also said stewards searched children as young as five years old and at least one youngster was visibly upset.

Jon Wood, Chairman of Grimsby's Mariners Trust supporters group, has slammed the alleged treatment in an open letter to Stevenage FC.

He wrote: 'Several female supporters were asked to lift their tops up to show their bras to female stewards upon entry to The Lamex Stadium.

'This decision - in the queue in front of other supporters, including men and male stewards - is a gross invasion of privacy.

'Female supporters have also since contacted us to state they were asked by female stewards if they could feel their bras if they confirmed that they were underwired.

'The supporters were made to feel uncomfortable and when they replied they would ''rather not'' they were ''reluctantly'' let in to the ground.

'This act would effectively constitute a sexual assault and these types of searches are unlawful.
If deemed necessary, although we cannot see how feeling an underwire in a bra could be deemed so, unless acting on previous intelligence, then any fans in question should have been taken to a private area of the ground to be searched by a female steward - rather than being searched in full view of male stewards, fans and Police.

'We are not aware at this stage that any previous intelligence contributed to these types of searches being implemented against female supporters.'

It was also claimed that after kick-off, a female steward was posted inside the male toilets near the 'away end' turnstiles and refused to leave, despite male stewards and police officers being stationed nearby.

Items seized during searches included a tiny bottle of hand sanitiser, contact lens solution, cough sweets and medication.

Mr Wood added: 'We believe there were a number of serious failings by the stewards inside the Lamex Stadium which we urge you to investigate to ensure that supporters from other clubs are not treated with the same contempt.

'It is our view that the treatment of Grimsby supporters by your stewards was amongst the worst our fans have experienced in decades of travelling across the world to watch football.'

Stevenage FC has been approached for comment.