A man has been arrested in connection with a string of offensive Facebook comments about resettled refugees on a remote Scottish island.

Police Scotland confirmed a 40-year-old man was held on Tuesday under the Communications Act following the social media posts.

The remarks related to Syrian asylum seekers living in Rothersay on the Isle of Bute, an island of the west coast of Scotland.

Several families have been resettled in the seaside town as part of the Government commitment to take one thousand refugees from the camps bordering Syria before the end of last year.

Police Scotland’s Inspector Ewan Wilson, from Dunoon Police Station in Argyll, said: "I hope that the arrest of this individual sends a clear message that Police Scotland will not tolerate any form of activity which could incite hatred and provoke offensive comments on social media.

"Anyone with information about this type of incident is urged to contact police on 101."

The first Syrian families arrived in Bute, which has a population of about 6,500, at the beginning of December.

David Cameron pledged last year to resettle 20,000 refugees from border camps near Syria by 2020.