A BID to sell cannonballs recovered from the River Hamble shoreline for £5,000 on an Internet auction website has been foiled by Hampshire police.

The items were described as historic relics dating from the Tudor warship Mary Rose, pictured, on eBay.

Police raided the home of a middle-aged man after being alerted to the sale by the Mary Rose Trust and the Receiver of Wreck. The items were listed with a reserve price of £5,000.

Officers found 14 16lb cannonballs under a barbecue at the man's West Sussex home.

An expert from the trust confirmed they were not from Henry VIII's flagship which sank in the Solent in 1545. They were probably 18th or 19th century cannonballs recovered from the shores of the River Hamble.

A Hampshire police spokeswoman said two officers from the force's marine unit visited the house.

She said: "The man led the officers out into the back garden and showed them the shot under his barbecue. He said they were given to him by a family friend who said they were from the Mary Rose. "When the man was away, another member of the family, a man aged 25, decided to sell the cannonball on eBay.

"Both men are co-operating fully with police who are trying to determine whether an offence has been committed."