A Remainer from Kingston claims he was intimidated and detained at Gatwick Airport by an immigration officer who objected to his "Bollocks to Brexit" badge.

Eddie Brinsmead-Stockham, 56, was on his way home from Portugal at around 4pm on Monday (March 25) when he claims he was confronted by a Border Force official who said his badge was "offensive".

After a brief discussion, Eddie says his passport was taken from him and he was briefly detained in a holding cell, before another official returned to let him go.

The ardent Yorkshire-born Remainer describes the experience as "pure intimidation" and has lodged an official complaint with the Home Office.

(Image: John Stillwell/PA Wire)

Eddie explained to My London that a technical problem with the electronic passport gates meant passengers were being checked through by officials.

He claims that he was immediately asked to remove his badge on the grounds that it was "offensive language" and, when he refused, the official walked off with his passport, insisting Eddie follow him to a holding area.

Eddie said: "One person took exception to the fact I was wearing the badge and tried to intimidate me and, to be frank, it was scary.

"I was stuck on the wrong side of passport control and found it frightening, even though I was born and raised in Yorkshire and decidedly not anything other than a UK citizen.

(Image: Katie Collins/PA Wire)

"Had I been anybody more vulnerable or less robust, it could have been very nasty and there was really no need for it."

Eddie added that the second official, who released him from the area and returned his passport, told him: "Take my advice and take that badge off in case you get physically assaulted."

In 1977, Virgin Records won a court case defending the use of the word bollocks in the Sex Pistols' album "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols", demonstrating it could also be used to mean "nonsense" and is therefore not obscene.

A spokesman from Gatwick Airport said they were aware of the incident but that it happened entirely inside the Border Force area and therefore could not comment on it.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "We are aware of claims made by a member of the public regarding an incident at Gatwick Airport. We are taking this matter seriously and are investigating."

Eddie is one of many pro-EU campaigners supporting the petition to revoke Article 50 .