A FAMILY has been left out of pocket after police recovered and impounded their stolen scooter.

Liz Hardman has been forced to pay out £170 to recover her lime green Vespa scooter from the vehicle pound.

Police placed it there after finding it abandoned outside a garage in Morris Green.

It was stolen from the family's back garden in Hulton Lane, Morris Green, just days earlier, and the family reported the theft to the police.

But when it was discovered by police - with the handlebars smashed, brakes damaged and light broken - the family was not told and the bike was sent to the pound in Worsley.

It was spotted only when Mrs Hardman's partner, William Bond, popped into the impound centre. Mrs Hardman said: "There was no registration plate but it's a very vivid colour, and with it being found only down the road, it couldn't be confused with another bike."

"We were told that police would be on the lookout for the scooter and surrounding area stations had been notified. Adam burst into tears when he saw it so badly damaged."

The bike is unrideable and the family are going to sell the parts to try and get some money back.

Two-year-old Adam Bond was looking forward to his first ride on the bike with his dad.

His father, had been preparing for the annual Ginger's Easter Egg run to the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital in Pendlebury to donate gifts to deprived youngsters. The family has shown police the bike's log book and say that the chassis number has been ripped off by the thieves.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said: "When the scooter was found there was no registration plate or chassis number on the vehicle. There was no way of identifying who the bike belonged to. There were no clear marking on it, so it was taken to the pound."