TWO men from Poole were part of 12 people who faced police action after a “torrent of online racist abuse” was directed at a high-profile London footballer.

The Metropolitan Police investigated the abuse, which occurred over the last two weeks.

The twelve men, including a 22-year-old man and a 63-year-old man, both from Poole, have each been arrested, or interviewed under caution, under suspicion of using words or behaviour, or displaying written material with intent to stir up racial hatred.

Detective sergeant Matt Simpson, from the Met’s public order crime team, said: “This action makes it abundantly clear that police will not stand for racist thuggery, even if it is committed online.

“The posts, all of which were on Twitter, were vulgar and were utterly unacceptable. There is no safe haven for this type of abusive behaviour, and we are committed to taking decisive action to root it out.”

The investigation was launched following the Manchester United vs Tottenham match on Sunday, April 11.

During the match, a Tottenham player was targeted with a series of highly offensive and racist remarks on Twitter.

This abuse was initially detected via Manchester United’s online reporting tool and was then flagged to police in Manchester.

The Met took the lead for this investigation and the anonymous social media users were identified and tracked down.

Officers from the Met then travelled to other policing areas, working with local officers to conduct arrests or interview suspects.

Mr Simpson added: “With a busy summer of football approaching we are committed to driving out this type of racist behaviour – it has no place in football.

“I am delighted with the support we have received from our policing colleagues nationally and from Manchester United and Tottenham. Without them, it would be difficult to identify these users and take action.”

Chief constable Mark Roberts, National Police Chiefs’ Council football policing lead, said: “This is an excellent example of the police service’s commitment to tackling the online abuse of footballers, in this case led and coordinated by the Metropolitan Police Service.

“By taking action, it hopefully gets the message across to offenders that you cannot hide and increasingly we will see more arrests as forces, the UK Football Policing Unit and wider football bodies coordinate their efforts.

“It should also reassure players that we take this incredibly seriously, and if they come forward we will support them, together with Kick it Out and the Professional Footballers' Association.”

The 22-year-old Poole man was arrested while the 63-year-old was interviewed under caution.

Arrests were also made in Nottinghamshire, Swansea, Warrington, Bristol, Llanelli, Newport and Hartlepool. Each person has been released under investigation.