THE mystery of the whereabouts of fuel originally believed to have been stolen from a boat this month has been cleared up.

It had been thought fuel had been siphoned from a vessel in Douglas harbour but the truth was much simpler.

A police spokesman said: "Douglas Police are pleased to announce to the media that this matter is not being recorded as a crime.

"The owner of the boat has moved his vessel and it looks like a blockage in a fuel pipe has been released and his tanks are now full.

"The boat owner is thanked for his honestly and promptness in reporting this to the police.

"I guess the message here is for anyone who thinks they are a victim of a fuel theft to double check that the crime has actually occurred."

Police originally thought offenders would have had to use another boat to dock alongside the vessel and siphon the fuel out.