Netflix has said it is suspending the production of House of Cards following historical harassment allegations against the show's star Kevin Spacey.

Star Trek actor Anthony Rapp accused the 58-year-old of harassing him when he was a child, in an incident in 1986 - when Rapp was 14, and Spacey 26.

Netflix and Media Rights Capital said in a statement: "MRC and Netflix have decided to suspend production on House Of Cards season six, until further notice, to give us time to review the current situation and to address any concerns of our cast and crew."

It had already been announced the show would not be continuing after its sixth season, however it is thought this decision was made before the allegation was made.

In a BuzzFeed interview, Anthony Rapp, 46, claimed that when he was 14-years-old Spacey invited him to a party at his apartment in New York and drunkenly tried to seduce him by climbing on top of him.

Rapp said he managed to flee before the encounter progressed.

In a statement posted to his Twitter account, Spacey said he was "sorry for the feelings he [Rapp] describes having carried with him all these years" and he wanted to deal with the allegations honestly.

But he said he didn't remember the alleged incident.