TT Races tourists reunited with stolen motorbikes

Sgt Craig Winstanley said it was "great" to be able to reunite the tourists "with their beloved motorcycles"

A pair of tourists who had their motorbikes stolen on the last leg of their journey from Germany to the Isle of Man for the TT Races have been reunited with their rides, thanks to "quick work" by police.

Merseyside Police said the bikers had been preparing to take a ferry from Liverpool when their vehicles were stolen from Queens Drive, Walton, in the early hours of Tuesday.

The force said the pair had to go on without them, but the bikes were recovered later that day after a call "reporting suspicious activity" and shipped to the island on the next ferry.

Sgt Craig Winstanley said it was "great" to be able to reunite the tourists "with their beloved motorcycles... so that they can enjoy the rest the TT Festival".

The annual races, which run from 27 May to 8 June, draw motorbike enthusiasts from across the world to the Isle of Man, with many travelling through Liverpool on the way there.

Merseyside Police arranged for the bikes to be transported to the Isle of Man

The force representative said no arrests had been made and anyone with information should get in touch.

They said the operation to reunite the bikers with their machines "was only possible through joint working with the city centre neighbourhood policing team, the roads policing unit, force contact centre and the DVLA liaison manager, who arranged for the motorcycles to be transported over".

Sgt Winstanley added that he wanted to "personally... thank the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company for accommodating the two motorcycles on a later ferry and their assistance with reuniting the motorcycles with their owners".