The sight of two Range Rovers escorted by four police motorbikes racing around Harrogate today had tongues wagging about who was in town.

Such VIP treatment is usually reserved for the likes of politicians, Hollywood celebrities and royalty. So who could it be?

Lots of readers spotted the escort around Ripley this morning and then in Harrogate this afternoon.

The above picture, sent by a reader, was taken at about noon when the escort left the Mercer Art Gallery and headed towards the nearby Royal Pump Room Museum.

Sadly, though, it appears there were no VIPs in the district. Staff at the Mercer gallery told the Stray Ferret:

“The police escort was not for a celebrity or anything like that. It is part of a police training exercise for when they need to escort people safely.”

We contacted North Yorkshire Police to confirm the information and get more details of the exercise but did not receive a response.