Ashes crackdown on fruit

The crowd at the Ashes grounds in Australia will be monitored on CCTV © Getty Images

Australian cricketing authorities have come up with a raft of new initiatives to make spectators feel safe ahead of the upcoming Ashes series, including the banning of oranges and watermelons and ‘grassing’ on fellow crowd members.

Officials are looking to apply a host of measures so cricket fans, including England’s Barmy Army, can watch the Ashes Down Under in peace.

It has already been revealed that extra police are to be on duty, while closed-circuit television coverage for all areas and tougher liquor laws have been introduced for all areas of the ground.

But officials are looking to apply a host of other measures, perhaps the most intriguing of which is the banning of watermelons and oranges, which can be used to smuggle alcohol into the venue as well as being potential missiles.

A new concept, dubbed 'dob in a yobbo', may also be introduced.

Authorities say the new measures have been designed to stamp out binge-drinking and violent behaviour among some fans.

The stands were full for the Ashes series in England last summer © Getty Images

Queensland Cricket chief executive Graham Dixon said ‘grassing’ or spying through mobile phone texts was a way for people to report loutish acts, with an SMS service alerting the local police force.

“It's a regular issue the day after a match,” he said. “People say ‘I didn’t want to call the police or call the usher over. I didn’t want to attract attention to myself because the person in question was rowdy enough’.

“And at the Gabba, they can easily put their closed-circuit cameras on the area and monitor it and send police in depending on what action is necessary.”

He defended the concept, denying it would be regarded as “un-Australian”, and said it would probably be introduced from the outset.

“This is a different climate and different times, and I think that most people generally frown upon the kind of people who intimidate women, children and most law-abiding folk at a sporting match,” added Dixon.

An extra 120 police are expected to be on hand to enforce all the new zero-tolerance laws when the Ashes begin at the Gabba on November 23.