West Brom players including England international's Gareth Barry and Jake Livermore were quizzed by

FOUR Prem stars were quizzed by Spanish cops over claims they stole a taxi after boozing on a club trip to Barcelona.

The bottom-of-the-table West Brom players — including England international's Gareth Barry and Jake Livermore — were on a training camp this week with boss Alan Pardew.

The four, said to have looked “worse for wear”, returned to their hotel beds after 5.30am according to a receptionist, but were hauled to the police station.

The Premier League aces were said to have nicked the cab from a McDonald’s drive-thru at 5.30am before reportedly driving it two miles back to the five-star hotel and abandoning it.

The quartet — skipper Jonny Evans, 30, Gareth Barry, 36, Jake Livermore, 28, and Boaz Myhill, 35 — slipped off to their bedrooms, but were later hauled down to a city police station by local cops.

No one was arrested after the incident, just two days before Albion’s crunch FA Cup fifth round clash with Southampton.

But the aces are being investigated and manager Alan Pardew called the incident “unacceptable”.

The 56-year-old boss also ad­m­itted his jacket and phone were stolen on a Tuesday night outing.

The four disgraced players — snapped earlier as they shared a meal with team-mates — apologised for breaching their midnight curfew in a statement on Friday night.

Barcelona’s regional police confirmed they were investigating the taxi theft and passed the case to an investigating judge who will decide if charges will be brought.

But cops allowed the players to fly home with the rest of the squad ahead of today’s match.

Staff at The One hotel, near Barcelona’s elegant Paseo de Gracia and where rooms cost £200 a night, didn’t want to comm­ent.

But an ins­i­der said a receptionist called police after spotting the abandoned cab — and told them the stars had looked a “little the worse for wear” as they returned.

A police source said: “It appears the players headed to the Barcelona Olympic Port but found everything closed.

"They dec­ided to take a taxi to a McDonald’s and for some reason left there in the cab — but without the cab driver.

“The four players who had got back to their hotel in the cab were taken to a police station.

“They weren’t formally arrested but they were id­en­tified as part of a police investigation into them.

"The taxi was ret­ur­ned to its ow­ner at around 8am.

"A report will now be submitted to an investigating judge who will decide on the next steps to take.”

None of the players was breath-tested or placed in a cell. It is not known who was at the wheel.

The source added: “It’s not clear if the players did what they did as a joke or because they were under the influence of alcohol.”

Unlike Lionel Messi and his Barca superstars, West Brom have endured a tough season and are languishing at the bottom of the Premier League.

Evans earns about £45,000 a week.

Livermore earns around £25,000 and is on the edge of England’s World Cup squad.

Barry is on a £45,000-a-week contract and has 53 England caps, while Myhill is reserve goalkeeper at the West Midlands club.

The players said in their joint statement last night: “We freely acknowledge and apologise for the break of curfew which we accept represented a breach of the standards of professionalism required of us.

"The club has informed us it will now conduct its own in­q­uiry and we will co-operate fully.”

Ex-Charlton boss Pardew said: “They broke a curfew and that’s unacceptable and I feel a bit let down by that.

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"We went there to get ourselves up for the run-in.

"This is obviously not ideal.”

A WBA spokesman said: “The players will be subject to the full rigours of our internal procedu­res.”

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