LONDON (AFP) - Hospital staff in Britain acted swiftly after a man arrived at their emergency ward with a World War II-era munition in his rectum.

Police and army experts were called in but medics had removed the object safely before they arrived, police in Gloucestershire, western England, said.

"Police attended Gloucestershire Royal Hospital on Wednesday morning (Dec 1) after a report that a patient had presented with a munition in his rectum," police said in a statement.

"The item had been removed prior to police arrival and the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team were contacted.

"They attended and confirmed it was not live and therefore not a danger to the public."

An Army spokesman added: "We can confirm an Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal team was called out to Gloucestershire at the request of local police."

The Sun newspaper, which first reported the incident, said the unnamed patient told doctors he "slipped and fell" on the device.

The man had been clearing out his private arsenal of military collectables when the accident unfolded, it added.

The tabloid said the munition was later identified as from that era and typically fired from anti-tank guns.

A defence source told The Sun the 57mm shell - measuring 17cm by 6cm - was "a chunky, pointed lump of lead designed to rip through a tank's armour".

"It was basically an inert lump of metal, so there was no risk to life - at least not to anyone else's," the source said.

The patient is understood to have been released from the hospital and is set to make a full recovery, the tabloid reported.