by Dan Bloom

Police swooped on Folkestone's Leas Cliff Hall last night after brawls erupted at a gig by indie rocker Pete Doherty.

Two arrests were made after a two-hour show in which punters threw beer over the singer, invaded the stage and started scuffles in the crowd.

Security staff had to intervene and were seeing holding one young stage invader in a headlock before pinning him to the floor - though only after he had shaken hands with the singer.

A police spokesman said two men were arrested outside the venue, where one of the front windows was smashed, and issued with £80 penalites for being drunk and disorderly.

They were a 38-year-old from Hythe and a 39-year-old from Romney Marsh.

No-one was arrested during the show itself.

The former Libertines frontman, who found tabloid prominence for his drug use in 2005, arrived onstage 20 minutes late telling punters he had fallen asleep on the beach.

A shambolic acoustic set accompanied by ballet dancers ended at about 11.10pm and the house lights went up, but he returned for a surprise encore 10 minutes later after a number of people had left.

At this point bouncers had to step in to restrain several in the remaining crowd who had started fights.

A recent Editors gig at Leas Cliff Hall

KentOnline's showbiz reporter Chris Price, who was there, said: "I was standing to the right of the stage, felt myself being pushed to my left and then saw a massive circle of people throwing themselves into each other.

"I assumed it was a mosh pit until I saw about five green-shirted stewards start wading in and pulling three or four blokes off each other.

"The guys fighting then started turning on the stewards, so they could get free and go at each other again.

Click here to read Chris's review in full

"Then the stewards seemed to lose control for a bit as some people started invading the stage."

Three police cars were parked outside the venue as punters left at about 11.30pm.

Leas Cliff Hall spokesman Jamie Leadbeatter said: "With this type of gig you are going to have a certain element of disorder as it is a drinking crowd.

"We are waiting for our security teams to report on what happened downstairs.

"However, the police activity upstairs appears to have been for an isolated incident."