A British couple charged with spying in Iran during what they called a “slightly bonkers” round-the-world motorbike trip said they had ignored warnings not to travel to the country.

Husband and wife Craig and Lindsay Foreman were arrested in the southeast of Iran earlier this year and on Tuesday Iranian authorities said they had been charged with espionage.

Judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir said the pair had entered Iran “posing as tourists” and gathered information before their arrest in Kerman province.

According to the BBC, the couple are in their early 50s and were first detained in January.

Before their arrest they had shared videos and photos of the stunning scenery along the way.

Lindsay said in a Facebook post that by late December they had “now done 12,499 miles across 13 countries” (20,116km), having crossed places such as Italy, Albania, Greece and Turkey.