Convicted Australian conman Peter Foster has been detained at Dublin Airport and is set to be deported back to Australia.

A source in the Irish police, the Garda Siochana, told the BBC Mr Foster - who was at the centre of the Cherie Blair flat row - had been detained on Monday.

It is thought he will be returned to his "country of origin" - Australia - on Tuesday.

Earlier this month Mr Foster dropped his appeal against deportation.

He had been staying in the Irish Republic, and had only been allowed to return to the UK for a maximum of two weeks at a time.

He had planned to divide his time between Ireland and Spain while writing his autobiography.

But on Monday he was detained when he arrived in Dublin from London.

Mrs Blair became embroiled in a highly damaging political row after it emerged that Mr Foster had helped her buy two flats in Bristol, where her eldest son Euan is at university.

Further questions

The prime minister's wife was forced into a public apology for her misjudgement in getting involved with Mr Foster, who was in a relationship with her personal trainer Carole Caplin.

After the row had rumbled on for days Mrs Blair went in front of the press to admit she had made mistakes.

But she said she had no idea Mr Foster had ever been to prison and would never want to do anything to harm her husband, her children or the Labour government.

Conservative shadow home secretary Oliver Letwin has tabled further questions about how Mr Foster's case was handled, and whether Number 10 attempted to speed up his removal.

Downing Street has consistently denied any interference in the case, a stance backed by the Home Office.