GREAT Yarmouth's wackiest races are back on track after thieves almost brought them to an abrupt halt. For the saga of the missing racing hamsters is now an open and shut case after the 24 rodents were discovered in the back garden of a Great Yarmouth home by a Mercury reader.

GREAT Yarmouth's wackiest races are back on track after thieves almost brought them to an abrupt halt.

For the saga of the missing racing hamsters is now an open and shut case after the 24 rodents were discovered in the back garden of a Great Yarmouth home by a Mercury reader.

It was late on Saturday when Nottingham woman Janet Lovette was visiting her mother Rita and read the Mercury's story about the missing hamsters, stolen in their suitcase.

When Janet went into the garden of the Kings Road home she noticed a suitcase lodged between the wall of her mother's garden and the shed and immediately thought it could be the hamsters.

Further investigation proved her hunch correct and the hamsters were handed in at the police station.

Although lifelike, the furry hamsters are actually battery operated toys that scurry round a four-lane figure-of-eight track for games, often raising money for good causes.

Delighted owner/trainer Adam Lawes was reunited with his hamsters on Monday .

He said: “I'm so pleased to get them back. I offered the lady a free race but she refused so I'm going to name one of the hamsters after the lady's mother. So we now have Racing Rita.”

The hamsters were stolen in their Samsonite briefcase from Adam's car parked on Selwyn Road, Gorleston, on the Magdalen Estate, in the early hours of last Sunday .