Drummer Steve Hewitt has left Placebo after playing with the band for over 10 years.

Hewitt has played on four albums with the 'Nancy Boy' rockers since replacing Robert Schultzberg on drums in 1996.

Placebo singer Brian Molko broke the news on the band's website, saying: "Being in a band is very much like being in a marriage and in couples - in this case a triple.

"People can grow apart over the years. To say you don't love your partner anymore is inaccurate considering all that you've been through and achieved together.

"There simply comes a point when you realise that you want different things from your relationship and that you can no longer live under the same roof, so to speak."

Molko and bassist Stefan Olsdal are reportedly working on the group's sixth studio album.