They are the sites which have witnessed the bloodiest fights that have shaped the course of history, but now a more genteel war is being fought on the battlefields of Britain.

Metal detecting enthusiasts have gone head to head with Historic England over the heritage group's attempts to prevent them from scouring the sites for treasures without supervision.

The National Council of Metal Detectors (NCMD), representing hobbyists since 1981, has refused to approve a new code setting down the guidelines for how detectorists should behave.

It withdrew its support for the voluntary code after Historic England threw a “spanner” in the works at the 11th hour, calling for all detecting on registered battlefields to be “a part of an organised and structured archaeological survey”.

There has long been accusations that important battlefields- including Tewkesbury where Edward IV achieved his great Wars of the Roses victory in 1471 - have been damaged and evidence lost because marauding detectorists do not ensure items are reported and recorded correctly.

But the detectorists argue that because of the scattered nature of material on battlefields, their method is the best way to gather the historical evidence.