Italy’s culture minister says a tourist who was filmed carving his and his girlfriend’s names into the Colosseum in Rome should be “identified and sanctioned”.

Gennaro Sangiuliano described the man’s actions as “unworthy and a sign of great incivility”.

Footage has appeared online of the tourist – dressed in a blue T-shirt and carrying a black rucksack – using a set of keys to make his mark in the building, which is almost 2,000 years old.

With his girlfriend by his side, he inscribes “Ivan + Hayley 23” before turning and smiling at the camera.

Someone can be heard saying: “Serious, man? F***** up, man. Stupid a*******.”

Mr Sangiuliano tweeted: “I consider it very serious, unworthy and a sign of great incivility that a tourist defaces one of the most famous places in the world, the Colosseum, to engrave the name of his fiancee.

“I hope that whoever did this will be identified and sanctioned according to our laws.”

Should he be caught, the tourist risks a €15,000 (£12,875) fine and could be sent to prison, Italian news agency ANSA said.

In 2015, two American tourists were accused of carving their initials into the Colosseum.

The women, from California, scratched the letters J and N with a coin, local newspaper Il Messaggero reported.

Afterwards the pair, reported to be 21 and 25, took a selfie.

They were briefly held by Rome’s police and questioned.

The year before, a Russian tourist was fined for engraving the letter K in the Colosseum.