Facebook has stressed it has "clear rules against posting graphic content" on its platform after images believed to show the body of British backpacker Amelia Bambridge were circulated online.

Bambridge's family had urged people not to share distressing images of the 21-year-old, whose body was found at sea a week after she disappeared from a Cambodian island.

The social media giant took action to remove offending images after being alerted to them.

Photos were also shared on Instagram, despite a recent policy against self-harm related photos.

Bambridge was last seen on the Cambodian island of Koh Rong on October 23.

On Thursday, her family confirmed that her body had been found in the sea following days of searching, approximately 100km from the island where she disappeared.