Nick Bateman went to ground last night after being kicked off Channel 4's Big Brother for cheating after nearly five weeks of scheming to win the £70,000 prize.

The show took a dramatic twist as the ex-stockbroker - now a public hate figure for his back-stabbing tactics - was disqualified by programme makers.

"Nasty Nick" was rumbled for his double-dealings with contestants and attempts to rig the voting to ensure he stood a better chance of winning.

Angry housemates confronted Nick at lunchtime yesterday after they found notes written on paper he had smuggled into the house which showed he was plotting their downfall.

Last night, programme bosses booked dozens of hotel rooms around the south of England in an attempt to keep his location secret.

Nick kept his scheming from the other contestants, presenting a kindly front to the six others left in the house.

But TV viewers and those watching the 24-hour Internet coverage had seen how he manipulated the voting and lied to the volunteers.

Channel 4 said he had been disqualified for "persistent infringement" of the rules by trying to manipulate nominations for who is evicted each week.

"He was discovered to have been writing notes and showing them to fellow contestants in an attempt to influence their voting intentions," the station said.

"The rules of Big Brother expressly forbid contestants from talking about nominations and tactical voting."

Big Brother organisers have the power to bring in another contestant which a spokesman said was "quite likely". However, a final decision has not been made.