A woman who spotted a sunken motorbike at the bottom of the canal during a stroll has managed to reunite it with its owner.

The woman found the missing motorbike on the morning of Sunday, June 19, when she was taking her neighbour’s dog for a walk in Church.

She shared the discovery on Facebook hoping to reach the owner, assuming the bike to have been stolen at some point.

The bike’s registration plate was identified, showing the vehicle’s MOT expired on December 24, 2020, and was registered as off the road.

The woman contacted police to make them aware of the Yamaha YBR12 which was dumped in the Leeds and Liverpool Canal near Church Kirk Bridge in St James’ Road.

Oil could be seen on top of the water in the canal.

PC Karl Dixon said: “The bike was recovered by the owner.

“The owner had reported the bike stolen slightly before it being located, and police are investigating the theft.”

A bike isn’t the only item that has been discovered in North West canals recently.

The Canal & River Trust, the charity which looks after and brings to life 2,000 miles of waterways across the UK, shared a list of its oddest canal discoveries in the region.

Items include shopping trolleys, a disabled scooter, cash boxes, fridges and even hand grenades.

The charity was made aware of the situation in Church and a spokesperson for the North West regional sector of the charity said: “Over the last few years we’ve recovered lots of weird objects from the Leeds and Liverpool Canal from shopping trolleys, a disabled scooter to safes.

“As a charity it costs about £1 million each year nationally to clear the dumped rubbish, funds that could be spent on improving wildlife habitats and ensuring the waterways are navigable for boaters.

“It is really upsetting to see litter and debris in the canal after recent surveys show that more people than ever are using towpaths as part of their daily exercise.

“It would be much better if the litter wasn’t there in the first place."