STUTTGART, June 25 - At least 300 England soccer supporters were detained in Stuttgart overnight after they clashed with German fans, throwing bottles, tables and chairs in a square in the city centre, officials said.

England fans throw chairs at German fans in Stuttgart on Saturday. [Reuters]

A spokeswoman for Britain's Home Office working in Germany said the fans had been held under "preventative" powers and were now being released but said they would be banned from returning to the area.

On Friday, over 100 England supporters were detained for mostly aggressive and drunken behaviour after thousands of England supporters descended on Stuttgart for their side's second-round match against Ecuador later on Sunday.

Some 40,000 English and German fans had gathered in Stuttgart's main Schlossplatz square on Saturday to watch Germany's 2-0 second-round victory over Sweden on giant TV screens.

Trouble broke out shortly after the game finished in one corner of the square, with around 300 fans on either side throwing glass bottles and chairs before riot police moved in to separate them.

After an uneasy standoff, the two sets of fans again threw glass bottles at each other, prompting the riot police to drive the German fans out of the area.

They then removed the England supporters one by one before taking them to the local police station in an operation that lasted for several hours.

"The cells will be very busy tonight," Stuttgart police spokesman Stefan Kielbach said, adding that they had had to act to prevent trouble from continuing all night.

He said both sets of fans had been to blame for the trouble and some German supporters were also seen being dragged away by riot police.

Of the 300 detentions, two are expected to go to court with one for assault and resisting police and one for throwing bottles.

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