A British tourist has reportedly been remanded in custody in Turkey after allegedly spitting on the country’s national flag during a dispute at a hotel.

Stephen Kerr, 58, is alleged to have become involved in an argument with staff at a hotel in the resort city of Alanya, on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast.

During the incident, Kerr is accused of spitting on a Turkish flag displayed in the hotel’s lobby.

Hotel staff reportedly intervened and detained the British tourist before contacting police.

Officers attended and took Kerr into custody before he was transferred to the Alanya courthouse.

A judge subsequently ordered that he be remanded in custody pending further legal proceedings.

Kerr is reportedly accused of “insulting the symbols of the state’s sovereignty”.

Turkish law provides criminal penalties for publicly insulting or disrespecting the Turkish flag, including damaging, tearing, burning or otherwise desecrating the national symbol.

If convicted, Kerr could reportedly face a prison sentence.

Alanya is a major tourist destination on Turkey’s southern Mediterranean coast, around 80 miles east of Antalya, and attracts large numbers of British holidaymakers each year.

The circumstances which led to the alleged argument at the hotel have not been established.

Kerr remains in custody while the case proceeds through the Turkish judicial system.