Police launched a search on Tuesday afternoon following a report that a man in Lycra had been spotted in an aroused state in Manchester city centre.

The Manchester Evening News reports that a woman contacted police about the man, who she had seen at the tram stop at Piccadilly. He was said to be in his fifties and wearing Lycra cycling shorts.   

At the time, the GMP City Centre Twitter account posted: “Call from female reporting a male in lycra cycling shorts with an erection at Piccadilly tram stop. Patrols on route [sic] to take a look.”

The man proved hard to find. A later tweet read: “No trace of any males in lycra shorts in Piccadilly, looks like he’s cycled off. No offences reported by informant.”

A Greater Manchester Police (GMP) spokesman later said:

“At 4.19pm, GMP received a call from a female reporting a suspicious male in his 50s wearing Lycra cycling shorts with what she thought was an erection at the tram stop in Piccadilly.

“Patrols were already in the area, however there was no trace of any such male. At no point was the male acting inappropriately and no other members of the public have reported any inappropriate behaviour.”

In May, a man hoping to take part in the Canterbury leg of the World Naked Bike Ride was told to put his trousers back on and leave the event before it began. A witness said: “It looked like he was enjoying the event a bit too much.”