Football fever is sweeping over the nation ahead of England’s game against Colombia this evening.

Pubs and bars across the country have made the most of the national excitement and have been showing each game on big screens in their gardens.

A particularly popular venue in the Towns is The Command House which has welcomed hundreds of supporters to its riverside spot for England’s first three games.

But there was outrage on social media when they decided to charge £50 for a table of eight people for the best view of the game.

Gillingham resident, Tricia Butler, 57, told the Medway Messenger: "It's an absolute disgrace. They're just being greedy and are ripping people off. I haven't been there to watch a game but was thinking about going tonight before I heard about this. Would not and never will line their pockets now."

Jonathon Mclean, media manager at the pub on Dock Road, has defended the move saying the pricing got misconstrued and the scheme tables have proved popular.

He said: “We’re not charging people to watch it, you can still come to the garden and watch it for free.

“It’s just the front six tables and they get table service throughout the match.

“The message got a bit misconstrued and taken out of context.

“It happens all the time. People still think we don’t let we let people in wearing shorts but we definitely do.

“We find it funny. We don’t take it too seriously otherwise we’d be a bit downtrodden by it all.”

Despite the online fury over the cost, the tables have proven popular among customers.

He added: “We don’t have any left. They’ve completely gone but people are still making inquiries about it.”

• The game between England and Colombia kicks off at 7pm on ITV 1.