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More than a tonne of hashish, with an estimated street value of £5.6m, has been seized by a UK warship in the Gulf, the Ministry of Defence has said.

HMS Defender's Royal Marine boarding team found 51 bales of drugs, each weighing 20kg (44lb), on a fishing boat off the coast of Oman on Tuesday.

The drugs were analysed by the Royal Navy Police before they were destroyed.

The Type 45 destroyer is working on counter-narcotics and counter-terrorist operations, the MoD said.

The seizure from the boat, a dhow, was made with the support of HMS Defender's Lynx helicopter and a United States P-8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol Reconnaissance Aircraft.

The Ministry of Defence said one tonne of "high grade hashish" was discovered in total.

Commodore Guy Robinson, the commander of the Royal Navy-led Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, said: "While our mission is much broader than counter-narcotics, it's satisfying that we have dealt another blow to those that seek to use the sea for their illicit activity, so soon after the seizure of over a tonne of heroin by other CTF 150 ships.

"The real strength in Combined Maritime Forces is the international co-operation at sea and in the air, demonstrated fully in this seizure."

Commander Steve Higham, the commanding officer of HMS Defender said: "This has been a fantastic example of co-operation between maritime forces in disrupting the flow of illegal narcotics."

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: "This operation shows the Navy is working to tackle threats not just near our shores but also across the globe."