Ashley Young and Ashley Cole were both subjected to abuse on the social networking site after missing penalties against Italy during England's quarter-final shoot-out exit in Kiev.

A police spokesman said the tweets originated in London and would be investigated as a potential public order offence, similar to the charge levelled against John Terry by Anton Ferdinand, a charge Terry denies.

"We are aware of alleged racist comments on Twitter following (Sunday's) England game and have launched an investigation," the spokesman said.

"The allegation was made by a member of the public relating to comments on a Twitter account supposedly based in London.

"The Metropolitan Police Service is examining possible offences under Section 18/19 Public Order Act 1986."

The response by the authorities has been swift, and after a Premier League season dogged by accusations of racism it is inevitable that offenders will be prosecuted if discovered.

One accused tweeter wrote in his defence: "All I got to say is this was just a joke, you guys need to relax, police know i was kiddin (sic) around and they won't bother me hopefully, cheers."

However, his number looked to be up when a West Midlands Police Twitter account replied with: "Wrong. Your comments may constitute a public order offence. We have advised complainants how to officially report this to police."