'Minor' problems at new Wembley

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"Minor" safety problems with escalators and stewarding have been identified at the new £800m Wembley Stadium.

Brent Council met Wembley officials following the first official fixture at the new stadium on Saturday.

"Escalators did not quite do the job they should have, and stewards did not quite do the job they should have," a council spokeswoman said.

This week stadium operators will decide how to rectify the problems to obtain a general safety certificate, she said.

About 60,000 supporters saw England's under-21 team draw 3-3 with Italy at Saturday's sell-out match.

It was the second of two events the stadium had to host before being granted a safety certificate - paving the way for May's FA Cup final.

A week earlier 40,000 Brent residents attended a special "community day" at the London venue and watched a celebrity kick-about.

They also tested escalators, turnstiles and the venue's 2,618 toilets.

First performer

"There is nothing wrong with the stadium but minor problems can be identified when testing by thousands of people in that environment," said Brent Council's spokeswoman.

"Later this week we will determine measures to be taken to rectify those problems."

Wembley Stadium representatives were unavailable to comment.

The new stadium had originally been due to reopen in August 2005 but hold-ups led to music and sports events being cancelled.

Once Brent Council has issued the general safety certificate, the FA will be in a position to confirm the FA Cup final can be held there on 19 May.

George Michael will be the first performer to play there on 9 June.