The Thursday measure also came a day after a Turkish court ordered the suspension of a ban on Twitter which the prime minister supported.

The national telecoms authority (TIB) said it had taken an "administrative measure against the site in Turkey."

Earlier, what appeared to be a leaked audio recording of Turkish officials discussing Syria appeared on YouTube.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuses social media of spreading misinformation.

Some users in Turkey found access to YouTube blocked while others reported being able to use it as normal.

Erdogan had suggested earlier that bans could be applied to both YouTube and Facebook.

The controversial recording which appeared on YouTube relates to a discussion of possible military operations in Syria, which was apparently attended by Turkey's intelligence chief, its foreign minister and the deputy head of the armed forces.

The authenticity of the recording has not yet been confirmed but it was potentially the most damaging purported leak so far as it appeared to have originated from the bugging of a highly confidential and sensitive conversation.

RA/NJF