Image caption Carlton Cole retweeted the posts which used a racist term to describe him

A man has been arrested after racist Twitter posts were sent to West Ham United footballer Carlton Cole.

The striker retweeted two posts on his account @CarltonCole1 after his side's 3-0 defeat at Swansea on Saturday.

They questioned Cole's performance and used a racist term to describe him. He tweeted that how he plays has nothing to do with "race, creed or religion".

The man, 22, of Southend, is being quizzed on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence.

In several tweets, Cole, 28, posted: "Listen, i take racism a lot lighter than others and i do understand the banter that comes a long with it to get under peoples skin but...

"... it can sometimes be hurtful & insulting, i don't mind when people criticise me for having a bad game or they think I'm crap at football...

"...but just say that, whether i am crap or had a bad game has nothing to do with my race, creed or religion. lets just keep it FOOTBALL. Kapeesh?"