Darren Hayes has been handed a police caution after he was arrested last month following an accusation that he racially abused a member of staff at a restaurant.

The former Savage Garden singer admitted that there had been a row at the Thai eatery, but he strongly denied that it was a racially-motivated incident.

Scotland Yard confirmed that a 35-year-old man had received a caution over disorderly behaviour under s.5 of the Public Order Act, although the Metropolitan Police did not reveal whether the incident was still considered to be racially motivated.

However Hayes insisted that "any notion of racism had been ruled out" by the authorities and claimed: "I could never think, let alone utter a racist remark.

"As a gay man, I find the notion of discriminating against a human being because of race, gender or sexuality to be abhorrent. It goes against everything I have stood for."