Boy nicknamed Shrek by police after he 'jumps in swamp' to try and avoid arrest in St Helens

A boy has been nicknamed Shrek by officers trying to arrest him after he jumped into a swamp to avoid police.

Merseyside Police say they suspected the male and his friend, both teenagers, were riding on scrambler bikes believed to be stolen.

After they approached the teens on Rainford bypass in St Helens, on 2 September, one of the riders surrendered themselves to police.

But the other made a run for it and jumped into a nearby swamp.

He was pulled from the water using a rope a short time later.

Both males were arrested on suspicion of stealing the bike, as well as other offences.

As the underage teens cannot be named, Merseyside Police jokingly named them on social media.

They said: "The first male decided the best course of action would be to throw himself into a nearby swamp to escape officers.

"Unfortunately, at this stage the males cannot be named, so we will refer to this male as 'Shrek' due to his fondness for swamps.

"He was fished out with a rope a short time later by officers, thankfully unharmed. He should be grateful - but he wasn't.

"The second male surrendered quite easily, we will refer to this male as ‘Donkey’.

"Anyway, both males were arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle and other offences under the road traffic act, and are currently en route to custody."