Former England star Paul Gascoigne has been arrested and sectioned under the Mental Health Act in Newcastle.

"Police attended the Hilton Hotel in Gateshead yesterday evening after we received a report of concern for a 40-year-old man staying at the hotel," a Northumbria Police spokesman said.

"The man was detained under the Mental Health Act and no-one was injured during the incident.''

The ex-Tottenham Hotspur, Lazio, Rangers and Middlesbrough star has been recuperating from a hip operation in his hometown of Newcastle, where he started his playing career.

He is understood to have been staying at an exclusive hotel near the city following surgery, with unconfirmed reports of erratic behaviour involving compulsive computer gaming.

"Gazza", as he is affectionately known, has had a long-documented history of problems with alcohol and depression that ultimately saw him fail to achieve his footballing potential.

Gascoigne split with his representatives Jane Morgan Management last year and had been trying to forge a career in acting under the pseudonym "G8".

Reda Maher / Eurosport