RANGERS fans' celebrations of their first premier league title in a decade have cost the council £58,000 clean-up and repair bills.
The city council says that the George Square clear-up involved lifting thousands of broken bottles, removing substantial amounts of graffiti and repairing the statues of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
Susan Aitken, the leader of the local authority, took to social media to praise the "heroic" council workers following the ugly scenes as thousands converged on the city centre to commemorate 55 Scottish top-flight title wins.
Police Scotland warned that "many more arrests will follow" after 28 were apprehended and at least five officers were injured - one suffering a serious face wound - in what police described as "disgraceful" scenes as thousands of Rangers fans converged on Glasgow's George Square.
As Glasgow was dealing with a surge in Covid infections and a potential extension of lockdown, police said Rangers fans "chose to ignore" warnings against large gatherings and took to the streets.
Police Scotland's Assistant Chief Constable Gary Ritchie branded the disorderly fans "selfish" for "damaging the reputation of Glasgow".
Rangers fans and the club have raised concerns about the depths of the widespread condemnation of the club and the Ibrox support after the Scottish Premiership title win.
Glasgow City Council has said: “Those responsible for trashing George Square on May 15 have dumped a massive bill on Glasgow and then simply walked away.
“The complete lack of regard and respect they showed for Glasgow’s main civic space on May 15 is a source of deep dismay and disappointment.”
Both the First Minister and then justice secretary Humza Yousaf were vocal in their condemnation of the scenes last weekend.
Nicola Sturgeon said she was “utterly disgusted” by Rangers fans who "rampaged" through Glasgow city centre and "vile anti-Catholic prejudice that was on display".
A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said: “A substantial clear-up operation was required in George Square following the events of May 15.
“A huge amount of rubbish was lifted, glass from thousands of broken bottles removed and substantial amounts of graffiti cleaned away.
“Hundreds of plants were also destroyed, scaffolding and traffic lights damaged, benches and security fences broken beyond repair and lighting for the Sir Walter Scott column smashed up.
“In the immediate aftermath of the events of May 15, we deployed some 80 members of staff to undertake an initial clear-up and they worked throughout that first night to put the square back in some kind of order for the rest of the city.
“But work continued throughout the following week and has still to conclude."
It is understood the Scottish Government rejected a bid to allow 10,000 Rangers fans inside Ibrox to witness Saturday’s trophy presentation.
Rangers chief executive Stewart Robertson made the offer last month in the hope it would convince supporters without tickets to stay away from the stadium and avoid a repeat of the ugly scenes which followed when Steven Gerrard’s team clinched the Premiership title back in March.
Their offer, however, was rejected by Holyrood chiefs who insisted they could not budge on plans to relax Covid-19 rules banning mass gatherings at that point.
The city council spokesman said the statues needed repaired.
“The Queen Victoria statue failed a topple test and is now fenced off to protect it from any further damage," the spokesman said.
“These two statues are priceless sculptures that are emblematic of Glasgow’s proud history and will now require skilled restoration work."
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