Members of the Merseyside Police reportedly faced disciplinary action after snooping on files about Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard following his arrest in 2009.

It is believed that 20 officers underwent misconduct hearings after they looked at files containing details about Gerrard after he was arrested and charged for assaulting a DJ in a bar in 2009.

According to the Daily Mail, a Merseyside Police spokesman said that the breaches were "attributable to an internal investigation in 2009 into people in the force viewing a computer record relating to a high-profile arrest".

Seven officers are said to have resigned after the hearings, with three being given final written warnings.