Facebook has issued an apology after its algorithms blocked the name of a Norfolk waterway.

A post about tranquil Cockshoot Dyke was removed by Facebook because it said it goes against community standards and constitutes "hate speech".

The social media giant has now apologised for the ban.

In a statement Facebook said: "We've clearly made a mistake here and apologise to users whose posts were affected.

"We're looking into what happened and will take steps to rectify the error."

Steve Burgess, a businessman and administrator on the Facebook page Love the Norfolk Broads, said the issue arose when a member posted she had moored along the old entrance to Cockshoot Broad.

Her reference combining the words cock, shoot, and dyke was promptly removed by Facebook's automatic filters, a notification citing both violence and sexual content as the reason.

Mr Burgess who runs two fishing tackle shops, a gift shop, and boat hire at Womack Staithe, Ludham, said he saw the funny side.