Staff knock off early to watch England match

England fans from across Shropshire were this afternoon gearing up for the nation's opening clash with France in the European Championships.

Staff worked through their lunch so they could leave work early and pubs have taken on extra staff to cope with an expected rush. The county's roads were also expected to be flooded with fans from 4pm.

It is expected that fans will be dashing to catch England take on the French in the Ukraine.

Many firms allowed staff to leave early so they can watch the 5pm kick-off in Donetsk's Donbass Arena.

The Stellings Lounge and Sports Bar, in Whitchurch Road, Wellington, is expecting a busy night and has taken on two extra bar staff for all of England's games.

Owner Gary Stelling said there will be five plasma screens showing the game and they were expecting an extra 150 punters tonight to watch England's match.

"We are expecting a big turnout," he added.

Another Wellington pub, The Plough, will also be screening the match.

Landlady Ruth Lowe said they had seen extra people through the doors over the weekend for the football. She said: "Hopefully, fingers crossed, the Euro 2012 will be a boost for trade."

Adrian Casey, managing director of Telford-based Unique Copiers, who won 36 caps playing badminton for England, said they had made no special plans for tonight's match.

He said: "There is less expectation with this tournament and I do not think there is the euphoria about it that there has been in the past, so we have not made any special plans.

"Usually with England matches I have been really excited but I am just expecting us to get walloped."

However, he said things would change if England wins its group against France, Sweden and the Ukraine, as then the workforce would probably head to a nearby pub to cheer on the national team.

Companies are also bringing in TV screens for staff to watch the match.

Anthony Frost, 39, from Telford, sales manager of Ford dealers Furrows of Telford said: "We're not clocking off early but we are reasonable and we've got a 32-inch screen which we can watch the game on."