Newcastle United star Nolberto Solano was today arrested for drink driving.

The Peruvian international was pulled over by a patrol car in his silver £30.000 BMW 3-series sports car in the early hours of this morning.

Salono was flagged down by traffic cops as he made is way to his £200,000 home on the exclusive Little Benton Estate after a night out in the city.

He was breath-tested and was taken to Etal Lane police station in the Westerhope area of the city, where he was charged with drink driving.

A police spokesman said: "We can confirm a Newcastle United footballer was arrested in the Gosforth area and has been charged with driving with excess alcohol."

Police are not releasing any details of the breath-test results or the circumstances which led to the 26-year-old star's arrest.

This latest incident could spark an end to the Peruvian international's career in this country.

Solano hit the headlines recently when he was revealed as one of the players caught up in a government crackdown on illegal EU passports.

The winger has played in England for two years on the basis that he holds EU papers through a Greek grandmother.

Embassy officials at in Peru's capital Lima have denied knowledge of a Greek, passport issued to the Toon star.

Solano insists that his father's grandfather was a Greek immigrant which entitles him to acquire Greek nationality.

The passport row follows Salano's involvement in a controversial night out in Newcastle with team-mate Kieron Dyer when a woman claimed she was assaulted by another girl while she was in Dyer's car.

The star refused to comment at training today.

A club spokeswoman said Solano had not been contacted by the Newcastle chiefs about the issue.

But she added: "It would be wrong of us to prejudge any court action, however, the club does not condone drink driving in any way shape or form."

Updated: 15.06 Friday, April 6