The hangover begins: Frustrated England fans pile into the streets as Three Lions lose to Italy in their first match of the World Cup

• .There was a heavy police presence in Bedford, with some fans burning Italian flags in response to the defeat
• .'Booze buses' were used in London to cart drunk supporters to the hospital before and after the game
• .Despite isolated incidents, police forces said the behaviour of most fans was similar to a normal Saturday night

By WILLS ROBINSON

Rowdy supporters took to the streets to vent their anger last night after England lost 2-1 to Italy in their opening game of the World Cup.

Fans in Bedford were spotted burning Italian flags while 'booze buses' in London were kept busy transporting drunk fans to hospital. 

Extra police officers were on duty in town and city centres as fans spilled out of pubs and bars in the early hours of the morning after watching the devastating defeat. 

+33

Rowdy: A group of fans holding flags outside a pub in Bedford are flanked by police after the opening fixture against England

+33

Dejected: A group of England fans sit on the doorstep of a pub in Blackpool, Lancashire, after England were defeated by Italy in the early hours of the morning

Revellers set fire to the red, white and green flag in the early hours after the final whistle had blown in Manaus, Brazil.

They held the flag emblem aloft as hundreds of England supporters spilled out of the pubs around the town centre following the teams disastrous defeat.

Detectives have launched an investigation into the incident that took place in Bedford, where one in five residents is Italian - the highest proportion anywhere in the country.

More...

• Amazon army closed air space above England game over terrorism fears
• Phil Neville's World Cup commentary is so boring police say they'll use it for crowd control: BBC pundit slammed for dry coverage of England's opener
• Italy declares easy victory in the battle of the WAGs: Italian paper claims their women outclassed the partners of the England team
• They think it's fall over: England physio caps disastrous night as he slips and dislocates ankle while celebrating Three Lions comeback ... only for defence to flop as Balotelli scores winning goal for Italy

When the sides last met in 2012 England lost on penalties and there were clashes on Bedford's Embankment as celebrating Italy fans were targeted.

Eyewitnesses described the police as being 'out in force'  during and after the match and, but said there was no repeat of the violence between rival supporters.

'Apart from the pockets of rowdy behaviour and the flag burning the police had it all under control,' said one England supporter, who declinded to be named.

'The odd smoke bomb was also set off as many of the fans congregated in the High Street after the match, but there were no violent clashes.'

Peter Eaton, control room supervisor for Bedfordshire Police said that officers were aware of the flag burning incident. He said:'This is being looked into by officers, but at this stage no arrests have been made.

+33

Confrontation: An England fan is calmed by police outside a Subway in Bedford

+33

Presence: Officers stand among fans in the street in a in Bedford in the aftermath of England's first game of the World Cup

+33

Shocking: One fan holds up an Italian flag while another burns it outside a pub in Bedford. Police have said they are investigating the incident 

+33

Crowd: A smoke bomb is let off between a group of supporters in Bedford, but many of the revellers seem unphased by impromptu prank

+33

A group officers stand beside a patrol car in Bedford as fans leave pubs and bars following England's loss in the early hours of the morning

+33

Chant: A female officer keeps fans in order outside a pub in Bedford. Some are in high spirits despite Mario Balotelli's winning goal

'In the past we have had trouble when Italy have played England because Bedford has quite a large Italian population, but last night passed relatively problem free.'

News of the flag burning incident quickly spread on social media. Nick Smith tweeted: "England fans burning Italy flags in Bedford town centre. Classy.'

Daniel also told followers: 'Burning Italian flags outside Yates in Bedford... Pathetic useless English again.'

Karl Hensman tweeted: 'Interesting night in Bedford with the best part being two smokes being let off during the game in Yates. Bouncers had no clue what to do.'

The disorder was limited however, with many viewers making their way home safely after the 1am finish. 

Fans in Newcastle, with St George's Cross draped across their backs, walked glumly through the city centre after the defeat of Roy Hodgson's men.

The Home Office announced in March that licensing laws would be relaxed during England matches. Extra buses were laid on in London to get fans home, though the Tube did not run late.

Police said the late England v Italy game made it a busy night in Devon and Cornwall.

Officers said they dealt with hundreds of calls - one every minute - but admitted it was a fairly normal Saturday night involving revellers.

In one football related incident in Exeter a group of troublemakers were moved out of the city centre.

+33

Spillage: Drink flies everywhere as fans celebrate Daniel Strurridge's goal. His finish was in a losing cause

+33

Chaos: An England fan lies on the floor of bar in Blackpool, Lancashire, during the game

+33

Aftermath: A woman helps out a friend who is slumped on the kerb in Blackpool. After she pulls herself up, a fan in an England shirt comes to her assistance

+33

Response: A police car with its sirens on drives from a street of bars in Bedford in the aftermath of England's disappointing defeat

It was a promising performance for the Three Lions, with Daniel Sturridge scoring off a cross from Wayne Rooney just minutes after the Italians took the lead.

But it was not enough as Mario Balotelli netted to make it 2-1, leaving England needing a result in at least one of their last two games. 

Despite losing their opening Group D match 2-1 to Italy the England in Brazil fans joined in the party atmosphere with their Italian counterparts on the Copacabana beach.

There were bizarre scenes in Manaus, Brazil, as England physio Gary Lewin slipped over on the turf during the celebrations and dislocated his ankle, having to be hauled off the sidelines on a bright orange stretcher saved for players.

An exhausted England captain Steven Gerrard said after the match: 'Italy are a good team and we knew how they were going to play and they never surprised us really. 

+33

Hopeful: A supporter holds up a flag during the first round fixture. Fans were left disappointed with the result, despite a promising performance

'I think we got criticised two years ago for sitting back and being a bit toothless really but... we pushed and pushed, we gave it everything and we did well.

'I think the chances were there, we created them, maybe we've got to look at how to finish a few chances off but we can't point any fingers. The effort and commitment was there.

'I thought we matched them all the way... It shows at this level how cruel it is, you give so much effort and you still walk away with nothing

England coach Roy Hodgson added: 'It's difficult when you lose a game... We were playing so well in the second half I thought we would get back into it... and win it.'

However, he said: 'It's undoubtedly the best I've seen the team play as a team during my time with them.

'I suppose you have to bite the bullet and accept that we played well but we played against a very good team.

+33

Disappointed: England fans with flags draped over their shoulders walk away from bars in the centre of Newcastle following the final whistle

+33

Comforting: Two England football fans console each other near Trafalgar Square in London after the defeat

'We're better than that, I thought, especially towards the end when we were desperate for that goal... [But] we are a young team and this is a first World Cup for almost two thirds of the team so I think we will improve upon going forward.

'We were hoping for a perfect start but we don't live in a perfect world and I'm confident that we can do well enough in the next two games to qualify.'

Victory may have eluded England in the match, but support from fans on Twitter did not disappoint, as football lovers from across England and beyond took to the social media platform to follow every kick.

There were more than 7.2 million tweets about the match, and the peak of 219,637 tweets per minute came as Sturridge scored England's equaliser in the 37th minute.

The flag of St George was also on display outside Number 10 during the World Cup finals of 2006 and 2010. 

+33

United: England fans chant in the middle of the street following the fame. Mario Balotelli's second half goal was enough to give Italy the victory

+33

Patriotic: A groom-to-be is tied to a pillar outside a Blackpool hospital during a stag do while a fan is looked after by paramedics as he sits on the pavement

+33

Fans: A rowdy evening in the city of Bedford as England took on Italy in the first round of the World Cup 2014. Police dealt with isolated incidents after Roy Hodgson's boys early hour defeat.

+33

Shout: Fans celebrate after England opened the scoring through Daniel Sturridge. He latched onto a cross by Wayne Rooney towards the end of the first half

+33

Fed up: Fans who had face-painted the St George's Cross leave venues in Blackpool dejected

+33

Turining his back on football: A fan speaks to other supporters disappointed with the result. England are now under pressure to get a result in at least one of their two remaining fixtures

+33

Jubilation: Fans celebrate after Daniel Sturridge scores England's opening goal. The striker is seen celebrating on a television in the background

+33

'Yes': England fans wearing an array of shirts rue a missed opportunity in Riley's Sports Bar in London

+33

Wearing the badge: A tattooed England fan screams at a bar in central London as Daniel Sturridge opens the scoring

+33

Expectant: Excited England fans packed out the Empire nightclub in Middlesbrough for the game

+33

Going crazy: Supporters erupt following the first goal in the 37th minute. The jubilation was short lived however after the Italians took the league in the second half

+33

Head in hands: Fans struggle to hide their frustration as Roy Hodgson's men miss another opportunity

+33

Disbelief: two fans with red crosses on their faces look on in shock while grasping their jugs of drink

+33

• Nail-biting: A fan hides behind her flag in Walkabout bar in Bristol as England head towards defeat (right) while a group of fans celebrate the equaliser in London