Batman star Christian Bale has been arrested by detectives investigating claims he assaulted two family members.

The Hollywood actor was being questioned by police at a central London police station, sources said. Bale, 34, is alleged to have lashed out at his mother and sister in his suite at Park Lane's Dorchester Hotel on Sunday.

Bale was arrested just hours after he attended the first European screening of the new Batman blockbuster, The Dark Knight. The actor joined co-stars Sir Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Aaron Eckhart at the Odeon West End cinema in Leicester Square.

The two women, who live in Dorset, went to a Hampshire police station on Monday to make a formal allegation. The complaint about the actor was then passed to the Metropolitan Police for further investigation.

[PA]