YORK was transformed into a "ghost town" as thousands of workers left early to watch England's 3-0 win over Switzerland.

City centre streets were deserted, and the normal commuter rush-hour failed to materialise as people rushed home early or headed into the pubs to watch the game.

It is believed that many employees were let off work early to catch the 5pm game by sympathetic bosses.

"We had a very quiet rush hour - we didn't have one," said Peter Evely, City of York Council's head of network management.

"It normally starts about 5.10pm and goes on until 6pm to 6.15pm. What was happening was that people were staggering their journey over a period of time. It was like a Sunday, when it's busy you don't have an afternoon peak."

Denise Raven, of AA Roadwatch, said it was a generally quieter day than normal on the roads yesterday - and she believes some people might have taken the day off because of the football.

She said that it had also been quieter during this morning's rush hour, possibly because some people were nursing hangovers and had not gone to work, or because they were taking today off as well.

Len Cruddas, chief executive of York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, said he believed that some people had asked to leave work early to see the match, and there seemed to have been a fairly sympathetic view taken to such requests.

"It is better if there can be a bit of give and take so that people can enjoy such occasions."

A York Police spokesman said the atmosphere in the city centre was good natured and it had been "remarkable quiet".

In Harrogate, three men were arrested, with one charged with a public order offence and assaulting a police officer and the other two given formal cautions.

A spokesman for one of York's biggest employers, Norwich Union Life, said: "Quite a few people working on flexitime did leave early, but we had enough people remaining to ensure we could carry on with business as usual."

At Ladbrokes bookmakers in Goodramgate, staff said a lot of bets had been placed on Rooney scoring England's first goal, the odds of which were 9-2.

But not everyone in York watched the match.

Andrea Antichi, manager of the Little Italy restaurant, in Goodramgate, said their main customers were women during the game. "The streets have been deserted," he said.

Meanwhile, an extra-long sitting of York magistrates threatened to deprive lawyers of the England match. But the television in the defendants' waiting room was switched on and while magistrates decided the fate of a bus vandal, lawyers watched football, including the winning goal. In Ryedale, the district's streets were left deserted from 4.30pm onwards until late evening.

Eight England fans kicked out of Portugal after riots erupted on the Algarve were appearing in court in the UK today to face football banning orders.

They were among ten supporters who arrived back in Britain late last night.

Updated: 10:21 Friday, June 18, 2004