A man has pleaded guilty to handling a stolen medieval jug worth £750,000 which is described as "a national treasure".

Police retrieved the bronze jug from a property in Tadworth in September after it was stolen from a display cabinet at a museum in Luton.

The Wenlok Jug was stolen during an overnight break-in at Stockwood Discovery Centre last May.

Ronald Nash, 23, of Pitwood Green, Tadworth, pleaded guilty at Luton Crown Court on Monday, February 11, to handling stolen property and supplying Class A drugs.

Nash was arrested after an appeal on Crimewatch and an investigation into the theft of the jug decorated with coats of arms and badges and inscribed with ‘My Lord Wenlok’.

Louis Kybert, 25, of Ferndale Road, Banstead, who was arrested by officers in the search for the jug, also appeared in court on Monday.

He pleaded guilty to possession of two stun guns and supplying of Class A drugs.

A third man arrested in connection with the investigation has been released without further action.

Bedfordshire Police's Detective Inspector Martin Peters led the investigation to trace and recover the jug.

He said: "This was a high profile case which involved the theft of a national treasure and attracted a lot of public interest.

"The amount of evidence gathered by officers has meant that the offenders had no alternative but to plead guilty."

The 14th century jug, which stands 31.5cm tall and weighs 6.1kg, is thought to be one of only three similar jugs in the UK.

The inscription could relate to the first Lord Wenlock, who lived near Luton, or William Wenlock, who died in 1391 and is buried under a parish church in Luton.

Nash and Kybert will be sentenced on March 15.