LONDON (Reuters) – An American helped foil a burglary in northern England whilst watching a Beatles-related webcam over the Internet, police said Friday.

The man from Dallas was using a live camera link to look at Mathew Street, an area of Liverpool synonymous with the Beatles and home to the Cavern Club where the band regularly played.

He saw intruders apparently breaking into a sports store and alerted local police.

"We did get a call from someone in Dallas who was watching on a webcam that looks into the tourist areas, of which Mathew Street is one because of all the Beatles stuff," a Merseyside Police spokeswoman said.

"He called directly through to police here." Officers were sent to the scene and three suspects were arrested.

I'm told there was a similar story from Australia last year: Exergy couldn't remember if it was a British guy who called police in Sydney or the other way around. But by my way of thinking if a British guy were remotely watching a crime taking place in Australia in real-time, the only call he'd make would be to his mates to joke about the awful irony.

Either way it's a quality story.