Two people have been arrested following an appeal by the family for an elderly Norfolk man to reunite him with his beloved classic motorbike stolen in a burglary.

The rare 1962 Greeves 250cc motorcycle, which he had owned for many years, was stolen from a property in Old Buckenham sometime between June 18 and 21.

Greeves, a British manufacturer founded by Bert Greeves in 1951 that produced road motorcycles as well as trials and racing bikes, are highly collectable and the family believed it may have been targeted by thieves.

The elderly owner, who prefers not to identified, has lived in Old Buckenham since 1980 and had kept the bike in a secluded garage not visible from the road.

His family, including the man's grandson, appealed on social media and through bikers groups including the Greeves Riders Association for information in the hope of recovering the motorcycle.

After reading about their search in the EDP a fellow bike enthusiast from Lowestoft contacted the family believing he may have unwittingly bought the stolen bike on the website Gumtree.

The owner's daughter said: "He has apparently been caught out once before buying a bike that turned out to be stolen so he contacted me to find out what the frame number was and then he went to the police. It turned out that it was the bike.

"My dad is obviously delighted because we didn't in all honesty think there was much chance of it being found. Word had obviously spread in the biking community."

Two people have subsequently been arrested as part of a police investigation into the theft.

A spokesman for Norfolk Police said: "Those arrested in relation to the case have now been released under investigation pending further enquiries."

The owner has not yet been reunited with his missing motorcycle as the investigation goes on, but he is now considering passing it on to be restored by its unsuspecting buyer.

His daughter said: "The chap has said he would still be interested in taking it on once everything has gone through the legal process.

"We actually think it would be quite nice for him to take on as a project and dad is pondering that as it would mean the bike ends up in a loved home where it would get the restoration and care that it needs. Someone who would want it for what it is not what its worth."