A haul of 500 original Beatles tapes stolen in the 1970s, containing tracks which have never been released, have been found after police cracked a piracy racket.

　　Police say the tapes are "priceless" and the only recordings from them which have ever been heard before were on bootlegs.

　　Six people have been arrested in raids in west London and in the Netherlands as a result of the investigation.

　　The tapes contain what are known as the Get Back sessions. There was to be an album of that name in 1969 but the project was shelved. Instead some of the songs, including Get Back itself, became part of the Let It Be album.

　　Pirate copies have turned up in the UK, Europe and the US over the years.

　　The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) led the investigation in consultation with the City of London Police central detective unit. They identified a number of suspects who were thought to have been involved in the theft and handling of the tapes.

　　Further inquiries across Europe led to a joint operation between the London officers and Dutch police.

　　Two people were arrested in West London this morning and another four were arrested in a town close to Amsterdam.

　　John, Paul and Ringo in New York in 1964.