Police in Liverpool managed to reunite six stolen bikes with their riders as part of an operation during TT fortnight.

A total of eight motorbikes were stolen in Merseyside during the TT period with five belonging to riders heading to the Isle of Man.

Named ‘Operation Needle’, Merseyside officers successfully recovered six out of the eight that were reported stolen during the TT when more than 7,000 motorcyclists travelled through Liverpool on their way to the island.

There were also three arrests involving thefts of motorcycles during the operation which deployed extra officers around Liverpool city centre.

Five of the motorcycles belonged to TT bikers while three thefts were not connected to the TT but were successfully reunited with their owners within 24 hours of them being stolen.

Officers also conducted 12 stop searches and issued two traffic offence reports.

Merseyside Police’s sergeant Craig Winstanley said: ‘Liverpool has welcomed several thousand motorcyclists over the past two weeks as they travelled to the TT.

‘It has been a pleasure for me and the team to meet and welcome visitors from right across Europe to our city.

‘Unfortunately, some groups have seen this as an opportunity to target motorcyclists staying within the city centre.

‘We have made several arrests and while the operation may have finished, we will continue to pursue lines of enquiry to identify those responsible for these thefts.’

Two German TT bikers were reunited with their motorcycles on May 28 after they were taken from Queen’s Drive, Walton. Officers quickly recovered the bikes and sent them over to the Isle of Man via the ferry.

One motorcycle stolen from the Albert Dock was also recovered quickly by officers and a French TT tourist was taken to be reunited with his motorcycle in Kirkdale after it was tracked down.

Sgt Winstanley said: ‘We’ve worked closely throughout the planning and delivery stages of the operation with our partners including Liverpool City Council, Liverpool BID Company, hotels and carpark providers, Liverpool Ports Police and the Isle of Man Constabulary to reassure visitors and disrupt offenders.

‘Liverpool city centre attracts visitors from across the world and that is why we are determined by working closely with our partners, to make it as safe as possible for those that live, work, socialise and visit here.’

Meanwhile, police in the island have hailed a successful TT despite some people ‘letting themselves down’.

Superintendent Danny Rotchell said: ‘Outside of the racing, it has been great to see the number of people taking the opportunity to experience the atmosphere and enjoy all the island has to offer.

‘Sadly there have been instances where people have let themselves down with the standard of their behaviour which has meant the police have had to deal with them leading to a number of arrests.

‘We will be taking the opportunity to review this year and start to develop our planning for next year’s event.’