SIX men have been arrested on suspicion of violent disorder following early-morning strikes. Shortly after 6am this morning, officers from Durham Constabulary swooped on addresses across the Darlington area and arrested the men following an investigation into football related disorder at The Dalesman pub, in Victoria Road, in October last year. Chairs and tables were thrown and a number of people were assaulted during the incident, which happened on Saturday, October 7 before the Stockport vs Darlington match at Blackwell Meadows. Since then, officers have been working alongside colleagues from Greater Manchester Police to identify potential suspects and bring them in for questioning. Two men from the Manchester area were arrested on the day of the incident and have been released under investigation. A further six were arrested by police in Manchester on March 27 and have since been released on bail. The six men arrested today, who are aged between 21 and 52, remain in police custody. Inspector Chris Knox, from Darlington Neighbourhood Police Team, said: “This was a violent incident which took place at The Dalesman pub and spilled out onto the street. “It involved a large number of people and as a result, extensive enquiries have been carried out to identify potential suspects and bring them in to custody for questioning. “The arrests today form part of Operation Relentless, which is the force’s campaign to tackle prolific offending in Darlington with the aim of making the town a safe place to live, work and visit. “Throughout the operation, we have been acting on intelligence from the local community. We would encourage anyone with any information on potential criminal activity in their area to contact us in total confidence on 01325 742199, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”