London, Sep 18 (IANS): A number of munitions recovered from an illegal "museum for World War One and World War Two relics" was detonated by bomb disposal experts in Britain, a media report said Thursday.

The large haul of hand grenades, rifles, mortar shells and guns were recovered by police at a house in Hertfordshire, BBC reported, adding that an army bomb disposal unit removed the items from the property and destroyed them in a controlled explosion.

The report said a 48-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of stealing the items from "protected sites".

"It is a criminal offence to retrieve artefacts from the ground through using a metal detector if the land is a protected site or without permission of the landowner," a police spokesperson said.

More controlled explosions may be carried out Thursday, according to police.

Meanwhile, another man was arrested Thursday in Oxfordshire after a World War II explosive was found on him.

Police in Thames Valley said they were investigating whether there was a link with the war munitions found in Hertfordshire.