British tourist arrested after stripping naked on Peru's Machu Picchu

Peru increased surveillance at Machu Picchu in 2014 as nude photos and streaking became increasingly common

The 15th century Inca citadel was labelled a Unesco World Heritage site in 1983 (Bruce Tuten/ Flickr)

A British tourist has been arrested after stripping naked and posing for photos at Peru’s ancient site of Machu Picchu, AFP reports.

The man, who has been named locally as 23-year-old Adam Burton, was spotted by guards, along with a 28-year-old French man, Eric Xavier Mariec, after the pair removed their clothes to take nude photos with a mobile phone, police told the Andina news agency.

The two men were reportedly taken to a police station and then to court where they were charged with "moral misconduct".

Peru increased surveillance of the site in March 2014 due to nude photos and streaking becoming increasingly common along the Inca trail to Machu Picchu, which was re-opened this week after being closed throughout February for maintenance work.

The renowned Inca City of Machu Picchu became one of Peru's most visited tourist attractions in 2015.

More than 1,100,000 travellers entered the archaeological complex last year, the sanctuary's Chief, Juan Carlos Nieto, told Andina news agency.

The 15^th century Inca citadel was labelled a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983.