MOSCOW, Russia: Security services of Russia have detained two spies working for British intelligence, the Interfax news agency reported citing the former head of Russia's state security service.

"Two British spies have been arrested. Of course they are not silent they are talking," Nikolai Kovalyov, the former head of the FSB, told Russia's NTV television station in a programme that was scheduled to be aired on Sunday night, Interfax reported.

In London, a Foreign Office spokesman said, "We have been notified but it is not clear whether this report is about British staff."

This week, Russia accused Britain of running a James Bond-style spying operation in Moscow using a receiver hidden in a fake rock to gather secret information and said it had caught British spies funding pressure groups.

Four British diplomats were named as spies in a programme shown on state television last Sunday.