Man bailed over fake Winston Churchill items

A man held over the sale of memorabilia bearing fake signatures of Winston Churchill has been released on bail.

The 65-year-old from Lymington in Hampshire, was arrested by officers from the Metropolitan Police Service's Art and Antiques Unit on Thursday.

They were alerted to a number of books and memorabilia being offered purportedly bearing the signature of the former prime minister.

The man was held on suspicion of fraud by misrepresentation and bailed.

Officers also seized calligraphy pens, ink and about 30 books, including those by other authors including Tolkien, TS Eliot and Robert Louis Stevenson.

Some of the items had been offered on eBay, police said.