A man has been arrested and a vehicle recovered following a car theft in Birkenhead.

At around 11.45pm last Monday, September 6, police received a report that a blue Seat Leon parked outside an address on Townsend Street had been stolen.

It was reported that "two unknown males" had approached the property on foot from the direction of Stanley Road.

They were reported to have taken the keys from the property and then made off in the vehicle.

After investigations, police arrested a 42-year-old man from Birkenhead on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle on Friday.

He has since been released under investigation pending further enquiries.

The car was recovered elsewhere in the town.

Enquiries are ongoing to locate the second male and anyone with any information is asked to contact police.

Detective Inspector Tony O'Brien said: "Thanks to information from the local community and our extensive investigations we have been able to make one arrest.

"Our investigations continue to locate the second man involved in the incident so if you were in the Townsend Street area on Monday night and saw anything or anyone suspicious then do let us know as information you hold could be vital to our enquiries.

"Operation Castle is a dedicated team of detectives and we’ve seen more than 500 years in prison handed out to suspects since we launched in 2018.

"Every sentence handed down makes the communities of Merseyside and beyond safer from the harm, distress and inconvenience that burglary brings.

"Key to these successes can often be information from those communities being targeted, so I would continue to ask people to report anything suspicious, and come forward with any information you may have seen or heard."

Anyone with information should contact Merseyside Police social media desk via Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’.

You can also call 101 quoting incident reference 21000621577 or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their website: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously

Advice on preventing vehicle theft can be found on the force website: https://www.merseyside.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/keeping-vehicles-safe/preventing-car-vehicle-theft/.