A pensioner spent five hours on a train, travelling 215 miles from Derbyshire to Bournemouth to buy an e-bike which was then stolen just a couple of hours later when it was locked outside a cafe.
Brian Westhead paid £1,200 for a second hand Specialized Turbo Vado SL for his wife. He said he locked up the bike with a quarter inch thick steel cable, but a thief used heavy bolt croppers to break the lock while he placed his order at the counter.
CCTV cameras picked up the theft but were not able to identify the offender.
Westhead, 68, said: “I had spent months looking for a particular electric bike for my wife to use. I am a keen cyclist and like to go on rides in the Peak District where there are a lot of hills to climb. My wife and I want to cycle together but she needs an electric bike to help her.
“I found this second hand bike for sale in Bournemouth for £1,200 and it was perfect. I gave myself a three hour window to buy it and get the train home with it. I was just killing time and took it along the seafront and went to a cafe by the pier to get a meal.
“I locked it up outside with a quarter of an inch thick steel cable and I went in to order and asked the staff member if I could have a table outside so I could keep an eye on my bike. I was inside for no more than five minutes, probably less. I came out and looked up and did a double take because it wasn’t there. It was hard to believe.”
He said that in the end he had to run to catch the train, and was, "left £1,200 out of pocket with nothing to show for it".
Earlier this year, it was reported that e-bike thefts have risen sharply in the UK, with police data revealing a 103% increase in the last year and a 257% increase in the last two years.
In 2023, 6.2% of bike thefts involved an e-bike, up from 1.4% in 2021, with Evolve E-bikes theorising that thieves are turning their attention to more lucrative targets, as last year it was reported that the average cost of an e-bike had risen by over 25% since the start of COVID-19.
> E-bike battery theft soaring in the Netherlands
Westhead added: "I'm afraid my only trip to Bournemouth turned into a bit of a disaster. If I come again, I hope it is to get the bike back!
“Part of the reason for sharing my story is that I want to put the word out that there are people in Bournemouth cutting locks. Anything less than a metal chain is not safe for one minute, even the steel cable I had was not enough.”
A spokesperson for Dorset Police said: “We received a report at 6.57pm on August 20 of a bike theft in the area of Pier Approach in Bournemouth. It was reported to have occurred between 4.45pm and 4.50pm. Officers will be carrying out enquiries into this incident. No arrests have been made.”
