Paul Gascoigne has been released from hospital after being sectioned under the Mental Health Act for the second time in five months.

The former England footballer was taken into care after Hertfordshire Police were called to an incident in Hemel Hempstead on Sunday, when a 42-year-old man, believed to be Gascoigne, appeared "unwell and in an agitated state".

"Police were called just after 12.30pm on Sunday following a report that a 42-year-old man had approached a member of the public who was unknown to him, appearing unwell and in an agitated state in Hemel Hempstead," a police spokesman said.

"Officers arrived and accompanied the man to hospital so he could be checked over. He was sectioned under the Mental Health Act."

They added: "The man is no longer sectioned. Police believe he is no longer in hospital care."

The troubled star was previously sectioned in February after he was arrested because of an incident at a hotel on Tyneside. He spent more than a fortnight at Middleton St George Hospital, Darlington, before being released.

Under the Mental Health Act, police can take a person from a public place to a "place of safety" — a police station or hospital — if they are "suffering from mental disorder" and "in immediate need of care or control".

A person can be detained for a maximum of 72 hours until the person can be examined by a doctor and treated by a social worker.

Being Gazza, Tackling My Demons Buy the book

Explore Football

• Premier League

• Football League

• Scotland

• European Football

• International Football

• TheGame

• Live Match Tracker

• The Fink Tank

• Fantasy Football