A TEENAGER who threw a lit firework on to the pitch during a match at Burton's Pirelli Stadium has been banned from football grounds for three years.

The 16-year old, from Radcliffe, Manchester, had denied throwing the firework during the Burton-Bury game last October but was found guilty at Burton Youth Court.

He was also fined £75 and ordered to pay £465 in costs.

The order means he is banned from all regulated football grounds in England and Wales and cannot travel to overseas matches.

The ban imposed by Burton magistrates was welcomed by Chief Inspector David Bird, head of operations for Trent Valley police division, who said the firework incident could easily have sparked panic.