Football stars arrested after being caught on CCTV 'rifling through barmaids' handbags'

Southampton players Bradley Wright-Phillips, 23, and Nathan Dyer, 20, were arrested and questioned by detectives on Tuesday.

Police were called after the pair were allegedly filmed entering an unlocked staffroom at Bar Bluu in Southsea, Hampshire, in the early hours of February 28.

Staff later reported that three mobile phones, £145 in cash, student cards and cigarettes had been stolen from three handbags.

The bags belonged to £5.50-an-hour barmaids who had spent the night serving cocktails to the players.

Dyer and Wright-Phillips, son of former England star and television pundit Ian Wright, had visited the seafront nightspot for a VIP night.

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Southampton FC has already docked the players two weeks' wages for breaking the club's curfew.

They were also dropped from the squad for one match because of their behaviour. Dyer, whose contract finishes at the end of the season, has not been match fit since December.

A Southampton FC spokesman said: "It's a matter of police investigation and we cannot comment."

Former England ace Wright, 44, had branded his son's behaviour as 'disgraceful' after footage of the alleged incident leaked out.

Wright told Talksport: "Police have called Bradley in to question him about what was going on.

"You could see it was evident on the video, that he was there with them.

"He never actually rummaged or weren't involved so they've seen that. He's going to have to go back because obviously they are looking at stuff. Because of who they are and what they do, they are going to take the brunt of what's going on.

"The only thing I can say is I can stick by what he is - his personality.

"At the end of the day they are questioning him because he was on the video but like I say my conscious is clean about it because I know he didn't steal anything and he knows he's made a major mistake and the sooner this is over and finished with him the better, so he can get on with what he's doing."

He said he had been teased by people in the street with one passer-by shouting "Wrighty, give us a handbag".

The father-of-five also hit out at footballers' lifestyles and said the root of his son's problem was mixing with the wrong people.

He said: "What is wrong with these players? They're earning all the money, they should be in their houses focusing on playing football.

"People are always talking about the fact that footballers are playing too many games but half of them are always out."

Hampshire Police said two men, aged 20 and 23, had been bailed until 17 June at Portsmouth Central police station.