Craig Charles plays cab driver Lloyd Mullaney in the soap

Photographs of the 42-year-old - who plays Lloyd Mullaney in the soap - appeared in the Daily Mirror newspaper apparently smoking crack cocaine.

The Liverpool-born actor was suspended from his job on the ITV1 soap after the pictures were published in June.

Mr Charles was arrested in London on Thursday and released on bail to a date in September pending further enquiries.

The photographs allegedly showed him taking the drug in the back of a car during a journey from London to Manchester.

Charles found fame in the BBC Two sitcom Red Dwarf and hosted the channel's Robot Wars. He joined Coronation Street last year.

The father-of-three also hosted a funk show on the BBC's digital radio station 6 Music every Friday and Saturday evening.

After he was suspended from Coronation Street, a BBC spokesman said: "Craig will not be presenting his show while we are talking to him about these allegations."

He spent several months in prison in 1994 awaiting trial on a rape charge but was cleared in February 1995.