Arrest made in relation to racist and abusive messages sent to England defender
He has been released under investigation
A man from Lancashire has been arrested as officers investigate racist and abusive messages sent to England defender Jess Carter.
A 59-year-old male from Great Harwood, has been arrested on suspicion of malicious communications in relation to some of the messages.
He has since been released under investigation while enquiries continue.
While playing the UEFA Women's Euros Carter spoke out about receiving racist abuse online.
Cheshire Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the National Police Chief Council (NPCC) lead for football policing, said: "The messages directed towards Jess Carter were appalling and I would like to commend her for standing up to this abuse and assisting with our investigation.
"Nobody should be subjected to such disgusting abuse, and I expect that today's arrest will be the first of many over the coming months.
"We want to make it clear that racist abuse of this nature will not be tolerated.
"Everyone is responsible for what they do and say, and we want to ensure offenders cannot hide behind a social media profile to post vile comments."