Thousands of football fans are expected to descend on Luton Airport next week ahead of Manchester United and Chelsea's historic Champions League final clash in Moscow.

More than 10,000 supporters are set to fly to the Russian capital from the airport, with 22 dedicated flights laid on by a number of airlines.

And Beds Police will be mounting a port operation with the national Football Intelligence Unit to make sure known trouble-makers don't make the journey.

A spokeswoman from Luton Police Station said: "Our operation will be about stopping those people who are banned from travelling.

"We're there to make sure no-one's trying to sneak in, because they will come up on our database.

"We will cover all the flights that go in and around Moscow."

But taxpayers in and around Luton will be relieved to hear that they do not have to foot the bill for the operation.

The police spokeswoman said: "We don't have to fund it ourselves as a force. It's paid for by the Football Intelligence Unit."

Next Wednesday's match will see both sides battle it out for the most prestigious prize in club football, and it will be the first all-English final.

Thousands of fans will be on their way to Russia after authorities took the unprecendented step of lifting strict visa restrictions.

Natalie Roper, marketing director at Luton Airport, said: "These additional football flights reaffirm the airport's close location with proximity and access from the South East to London and ease of use for the leisure traveller.

"We are delighted to work closely with such such an array of airlines and wish both English teams good luck for the final."