TWO Britons being held in Argentina on charges of desecrating the South American country's national flag could face up to four years in jail.

Investment banker Darren Redden, 28, of Darlington, and fellow holidaymaker David Fleming, 20, of Manchester, were arrested over allegations that they stole the flag from outside a pub in the southern city of Ushuaia.

Local police said the men had been drinking late into the night on January 5 at the Galway Irish pub, which belongs to a Falklands war veteran.

They are said to have taken down an Argentine flag from a mast outside the building and trampled on it, before throwing it into a bin.

Witnesses said they were parading the flag "like a war trophy" through the city centre.

Mr Redden and Mr Fleming, together with 28-year-old Australian Benjamin Sargent, handed in their passports and cannot leave the Tierra del Fuego region while they await trial.

The case is being closely monitored by the Ushuaia and Rio Grande Malvinas Veterans Association, which believes the Britons should face the maximum possible sentence of four years in jail.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said last night: "Two British nationals and an Australian man were arrested in Ushuaia, accused of the theft and desecration of the national flag.

"Next of kin have been informed and we are providing the appropriate assistance. No trial date has been set and they will have to remain in Argentina until the hearing."