American Idol judge Simon Cowell is at the centre of a police investigation after he discovered his TV set had been bugged.

Police were called to the Palace Theatre in Manchester, England, after the music mogul spotted the high-tech listening device in the corner of the room.

The star was using the hotel to audition members of the public for his forthcoming U.K.-based reality TV contest Britain’s Got Talent.

It is now feared Cowell, and his fellow judges, journalist Piers Morgan and actress Amanda Holden, were the target of an underground betting ring trying to glean information about possible winners through their private conversations.

Cowell says, "I am absolutely shocked that someone tried to bug me. It is incredible the lengths some people will go to to try and get inside information about myself and the other judges.

"Nobody knows what they intended to do with the information they got from recording our conversations - but it is a concern that they were able to breach security."

Police in the city have launched an inquiry and a man was arrested on Thursday (17Jan08) night in connection with the investigation.