Man Held Over Collymore Twitter 'Abuse'

A man has been arrested after ex-footballer Stan Collymore was allegedly racially abused on Twitter.

The 21-year-old man is in police custody and is helping police with their investigation.

Northumbria Police said: "At 9.55am this morning police received a report of racist tweets and are carrying out enquiries to trace the person responsible."

They later added: "A 21-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of publishing written material to stir up racial hatred and is currently in police custody helping police with their enquiries."

The former Aston Villa striker took to his Twitter account to show his gratitude to the police for their "prompt response" to the problem.

He said: "Many thanks to Greater Manchester & Northumbria Police forces for their prompt response to racism on Twitter."

Earlier this year, law student Joshua Cryer was given a two-year community order over a series of racist tweets directed at Collymore.

Northumbria officers also launched an investigation on Tuesday after a football fan was caught on camera apparently making a racist monkey gesture at a Premier League player Romelu Lukaku during a match over the weekend.