A father is locked in a tug-of-love battle after his ex-girlfriend took their young son to live in Turkey without telling him following a holiday romance with a waiter.

Nabeel Arshad did not know the whereabouts of his eight-year-old son Logan until he saw on Facebook that his ex Laura Semple had taken him to the Middle Eastern country.

It then emerged that the 23-year-old mother had started a relationship with a Turkish waiter and decided to move to the country - 2,000 miles away from Mr Arshad's home in Scotland.

Distraught: Nabeel Arshad has not seen his son Logan, pictured on a tablet computer, since last year

The worried father, 27, has contacted the police in a bid to force his former partner to return their son, but was told they could do nothing because he gave permission for Logan to leave Britain in the first place.

He has not seen his son for nearly 18 months, and fears he is not being brought up properly so far from his family.

Mr Arshad's ordeal began last year, when Ms Semple took Logan on holiday to the Mediterranean resort of Marmaris with her parents.

The boy's father, who lives in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, consented to the trip, and even gave his son spending money for his holiday.

However, during the trip Ms Semple started a romance with a local waiter, and after briefly returning to the UK she decided to settle in Turkey for good.

Mr Arshad said: 'I only found out through Facebook when my brother told me.'

Family: Mr Arshad allowed Logan to go on holiday with his mother, but they never returned to Britain

He contacted Police Scotland and the Foreign Office - but they were unable to help him locate his son.

'The police, Scottish Government and social workers won't help, so I'm having to take the law into my own hands and go over there to get him,' the MOT examiner said.

'Nothing is working at the moment. It is like a cruel joke.'

In a letter to Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Mr Arshad wrote: 'I'm devastated and have no one else to turn to.

'Logan is not getting an education over there. I have not spoken to him in 18 months. I'm at my wits' end.

'He's only eight years old. Please help me, please.'

The father was arrested for harassment after trying to contact Ms Semple's parents, but two months ago the charge was found to be 'not proven' at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

New home: Logan is apparently living in the Turkish resort of Marmaris, on the Mediterranean Sea

The problem of parents abducting their own children is a growing one, with the Foreign Office dealing with 10 alleged cases every week.

A spokesman for Reunite, the national charity which deals with the issue, said: 'Largely, abductions are down to the fact that air travel is now so easy but are most often caused by relationship breakdown with the majority carried out by mothers.

'These cases can be devastating for parents left behind.'

British authorities can often be powerless to intervene once a child has been taken overseas, because they fall under the legal system of a different country.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: 'Officers in Turkey have spoken to the child's mother and they established both were safe and well.

'Police Scotland confirmed that the child's mother is entitled to take her son abroad.

'Police officers provided advice and guidance, in addition to speaking to the Foreign a Office to ensure the child's well-being.'