Football yobs run riot along Royal Mile

Hours before Hibs' vital Europa League tie with NK Maribor last night, missiles were hurled by opposing gangs in a sustained melee that reached its height outside a Mexican restaurant.

Diners within the Pancho Villa on Canongate cowered below tables as bricks, bottles, tables and chairs rained into the premises, leaving at least one innocent woman there injured by a flying chair.

The injured man being treated at the ERI is around 25 years old and his injuries are not thought to be life threatening.

Police have charged 30 men in connected with the disturbances - all from NK Maribor's home nation Slovenia - and they were due to appear in court today.

Paul Scott, 41, was driving along the Royal Mile when the confrontation broke out.

He said: "There were two groups of about 30 and 10 that were fighting on the street. They were pulling stuff down, launching chairs and plant pots. "All the tourists were just standing there shocked and watching what was going on."

Another eyewitness, who asked not to be named, described the scene as "mayhem" and said people were being struck with chairs while others removed belts and aimed the buckle at rival fans like a mace.

Unwittingly, the Mexican restaurant Pancho Villa became a central battleground in the fracas as some rioters sought refuge inside the premises.

Restaurant owner, Mayra Nunez, 38, urged customers away from the windows and entrance as her business came under attack.

"There were two groups - one group going down the Royal Mile with another coming up and they clashed right outside the restaurant," she said. "As they came together they were making a lot of noise and took about eight terrace chairs (from the on-street seating area] and started throwing them at each other.

"Some of my plant pots were taken and thrown and chairs and bottles were being thrown.

"We moved all customers to the upper level (away from the entrance] and started trying to close the doors with people still fighting outside."

She estimates the total damage to her business at 500.

"The mess they made was absolutely terrible," added Ms Nunez, who was serving about a dozen diners at the time. "We had customers walking out without paying they were so scared. I have been here for 22 years and never seen anything like this before. It is shocking.

"Some customers looked like they were running for their lives until we got them upstairs."It's awful hearing people saying 'is this what Scotland is like?' It's really embarrassing as most of my customers are tourists."