An Argentine man kept his wife and autistic son in a filthy cage during the day for at least two years, police say.

Prosecutor Alejandro Pellegrini said police found the dirt-floor cell at the house of 66-year-old Eduardo Oviedo in the city of Mar del Plata.

They were acting on a complaint by two of his other children.

Mr Pellegrini said Oviedo's 61-year-old wife has psychiatric problems and his 32-year-old son is autistic.

He described the cell as a cage with bars and an iron door that was locked from the outside. Old mattresses, rubble and bricks, as well as pet food, were found inside.

"The house also had a room in the worst of human conditions where the woman and son spent the hours of the night," locked up as well, he said.

Oviedo was arrested on Friday and brought before a judge yesterday. He declined to make a statement. Mr Pellegrini said he would undergo psychiatric evaluation.

The prosecutor said that several other children lived nearby but did not denounce the situation for fear of their father.