Confederate battle flag sales have rocketed in the US since the violence at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville led to the death of a 32-year-old mother.

Retailers have reported a surge in demand for the Confederate flag and although most US major sellers no longer produce the flag because of its controversial history, imports from China and other countries have filled the rising demand.

The trend has not escaped Chris Ackerman's Civil war memorabilia shop in Pennsylvania.

Following the events in Charlottesville, Mr Ackerman said demand jumped fourfold.

His store and website sell handmade flags to re-enacators for $400 (£310) and $40 (£31) for those shipped from China.

Mr Ackerman told Reuters he sold as many as 40 flags a week, an increase he compared to the surge in gun sales when gun control measures are feared.

In another shop called Dixie Outfitters in Odum, Georgia, flags ordered also quadrupled.

According to its website, the shop has been "preserving Southern heritage since 1861" and the owner Dewey Barberm said he sells as many as 15,000 Confederate flags a year, many of which are imported from overseas.

At Alabama Flag and Banner, one of the few remaining US makers of the Confederate flag, sales reached 150 in a single day last week, a quarter of the number of average annual sales.

Its owner Belinda Melson-Kennedy, whose distant relative fought for the Confederacy, said she disliked the flag being used by white supremacists but that it remained an important part of Southern history and culture.

Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Show all 9 1 /9 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Protesters clash and several are injured White nationalist demonstrators clash with counter demonstrators at the entrance to Lee Park in Charlottesville, Virginia. A state of emergency is declared, August 12 2017 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Trump supporters at the protest A white nationalist demonstrator walks into Lee Park in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017. Hundreds of people chanted, threw punches, hurled water bottles and unleashed chemical sprays on each other Saturday after violence erupted at a white nationalist rally in Virginia. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville State police stand ready in riot gear Virginia State Police cordon off an area around the site where a car ran into a group of protesters after a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Militia armed with assault rifles White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' with body armor and combat weapons evacuate comrades who were pepper sprayed after the 'Unite the Right' rally was declared a unlawful gathering by Virginia State Police. Militia members marched through the city earlier in the day, armed with assault rifles. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee stands behind a crowd of hundreds of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' during the 'Unite the Right' rally 12 August 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. They are protesting the removal of the statue from Emancipation Park in the city. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Racial tensions sparked the violence White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' exchange insults with counter-protesters as they attempt to guard the entrance to Lee Park during the 'Unite the Right' rally Getty Violence on the streets of Charlottesville A car plows through protesters A vehicle drives into a group of protesters demonstrating against a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The incident resulted in multiple injuries, some life-threatening, and one death. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Rescue personnel help injured people after a car ran into a large group of protesters after an white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville President Donald Trump speaks about the ongoing situation in Charlottesville, Virginia from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. He spoke about "loyalty" and "healing wounds" left by decades of racism.

Large retailers stopped selling the flag in 2015 after an image emerged of Dylann Roof, a white supremacist who killed nine members of a Bible study group at a predominantly black church in South Carolina, clutching one of the flags.

Since then, the debate over symbols of the pro-slavery confederacy has intensified. While civil rights activists say they promote racism, others argue the flags are part of Southern heritage and history.

The events in Charlottesville when white supremacist protesters clashed with counter-protesters have brought back a longstanding debate in the US over race and the legacy of slavery.

The rally was organised to protest against plans to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee but it turned violent and led to the death of Heather Heyer, when a car ploughed into a crowd of counter-protesters.

Since then, activists across the country have pulled down and urged authorities to remove Confederate monuments from town centres and public places.