Bale's mother Jenny, pictured with the actor in 2000

The Hollywood actor was being questioned by police at a central London police station, sources said.

Bale, 34, is alleged to have lashed out at his mother Jenny, 61, and sister Sharon, 40, in his suite at Park Lane's Dorchester Hotel on Sunday.

A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said: 'A 34-year-old man attended a central London police station this morning by appointment.

'He was arrested in connection with an allegation of assault. He currently remains in custody.'

Bale was arrested just hours after he attended the first European screening of the new Batman blockbuster, The Dark Knight.

The actor joined co-stars Sir Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Aaron Eckhart at the Odeon West End cinema in Leicester Square.

Sister Sharon, outside her home in Dorset today

The two women, who live in Dorset, went to a Hampshire police station yesterday to make a formal allegation. The complaint about the actor was then passed to the Metropolitan Police for further investigation.

It's not the only drama to cast its shadow over the premiere. Peaches Geldof, one of the guests at the screening, was reportedly treated by paramedics after a suspected drugs overdose at her flat in Islington.

Bale has been married to Sibi Blazic, a former personal assistant to Winona Ryder, for eight years, and they have a three-year-old daughter Emmaline.