Criminal gangs in Iraq and the Middle East are selling forged art works on auction Web site eBay and in antique markets in Britain to help fund terrorism, British police said on Wednesday.

The extent of the scam was not clear but the items, purportedly Iraqi or heirlooms from the region, could each sell for up to a couple of thousand pounds (dollars), according to London police's Arts and Antiques Unit.

"Archaeological stuff is being exported by the ton-load from Middle Eastern countries and (the money) is going back into the Middle East area and some will inevitably end up in the hands of terrorists," Detective Constable Ian Lawson told reporters.

"We know for a fact there is a terrorism link.""There's a trend where items are faked in Iraq and brought into the UK," he said.