British Nobel laureate Sir Tim Hunt has apologised for suggesting "girls" should stay out of the laboratory because they distract men.

Discussing women in science, he told a conference in South Korea: "Three things happen when they are in the lab: you fall in love with them, they fall in love with you, and when you criticise them they cry."

He told the Today programme: "I'm really sorry that I said what I said... What was intended as a sort of light-hearted ironic comment, apparently was interpreted deadly seriously by my audience."