241 Pizza

The question of replacing the terraces would have to be looked at, the Prime Minister said, as would the question of replacing perimeter fences put up to prevent pitch invasion by hooligans, but providing a death trap for fans who could not escape the crush.

Saturday's events were yesterday the subject of angry recriminations, with the police, the emergency services and stadium staff all coming under fire. Mr John Ashton, a doctor and lecturer at Liverpool University, who was at the game with his children, and who took control of the casualties on the pitch, commented said: ``The whole thing from beginning to end had incompetence running right through it.''

Both the public inquiry into the disaster, and the police inquiry, which will be led by an officer from the West Midlands force to be nominated by the West Midlands Chief Constable, Mr Geoffrey Dear, will focus on three aspects of the disaster.

First, there will be the decision of police to direct Liverpool fans to the less spacious Leppings Lane end of the ground. It is nearer to access roa ds from Liverpool, but its choice meant that the more numerous Liverpool fans were allocated far fewer tickets than their opposite numbers from Nottingham Forest. Secondly the inquiries will look at the decision to open the gate of the Leppings Lane end to relieve the crush outside. Thirdly they will consider the situation inside the ground how well police coped with the attempts of the trapped fans to escape from the packed terraces on to the pitch, and how well prepared the stadium staff themselves were for such an emergency.

Tragedy on the terraces

• 'Mayhem' after gate was opened

• 'We watched them die, innocent figures, lying prostrate and crushed on the green grass'

• Doctors attack 'total chaos' of rescue effort

Police in 'open gate' inquiry

• The man who opened the gate

• Force condemned for failing to avert turnstile disaster

• Senior officers were not willing to concede fault

Mother tells of losing husband and son as she witnessed crush on TV

• Names of the supporters who died are released

• Liverpool welcomes vindication of fans' behaviour

• Thatcher hears of heroic courage

Anfield Kop becomes silent focus of city's mourning

• Thousands at requiem mass as Liverpool mourns deaths

• Sombre lessons soccer failed to learn

Related Links

• The man who opened the gate

• Force condemned for failing to avert turnstile disaster

• Senior officers were not willing to concede fault

Yesterday there were calls for this year's FA Cup to be scrapped. The Football Association will decide on this either today or tomorrow but it is thought this year's competition may continue after a period. In Saturday's other semi-final Liverpool's local rivals Everton beat Norwich to go through to the final. There was a growing move last night towards replaying the abandoned match, holding the final and donating the proceeds to the disaster fund. Last night the fund was approaching Pounds 1million, after announcements of Pounds 500,000 from the Government, Pounds 250,000 from the Football Association and Pounds 100,000 from Liverpool FC.

The Prince and Princess of Wales are to visit the injured in hospital today. Mr Ronnie Gilhooley, whose son John, aged 10, was the youngest of the victims named, was in tears at his home in Radway Road, Huyton, near Liverpool. ``I cannot face talking about it,'' he said. Mr Trevor Hicks, a businessman, of Pinner, north-west London, said he had attempted in vain to resuscitate his two teenage daughters, Victoria, aged 15, and Sarah, for whom the trip to the match was a nineteenth birthday treat,after they were caught in the crush.