Gascoigne detained under Mental Health Act

Paul Gascoigne has been sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

The former England footballer was detained following an incident at the Hilton Hotel in his hometown of Gateshead last night.

A Northumbria Police spokesman said: "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. The man was detained under the Mental Health Act and no one was injured during the incident."

A Hilton Hotels representative said Gascoigne had been staying at the establishment for just a day and had not been seen making trouble.

She told the Guardian: "He checked in on Wednesday morning. The call actually came in from the police so it was not from the Hilton.

"There was nothing that happened at the hotel to make us think that there was anything wrong and once the police arrived that evening, he was escorted peacefully away. It's a very sensitive situation."

Gascoigne has been treated for stress, depression and alcohol addiction on several occasions during the last decade.

Last November, he was banned from boarding a plane in Malta because he was deemed to be too drunk. He had left rehab in Arizona the previous month.