THE dad of 12-year-old twins is appealing for help after the girls’ bright pink unicycles were stolen.

Liberty and Amelia Martin were left in tears when their unique single-wheel cycles were taken by an opportunist thief from their garage in Wimborne Road, Poole, this week.

Dad Dermot is now asking members of the public to keep their eyes peeled for any sign of the distinctive unicycles.

He said: “We had three stolen – two bright pink ones, which were brand new, and a yellow one, which the girls used when they were learning to ride them.

“After both of the girls managed to conquer riding a unicycle, we got them one each for a Christmas present, so they were very upset to lose them. They were getting very good indeed at it all, and they even raised money for Comic Relief by riding the unicycles around the school.”

Mr Martin said three unicycles were stolen after a garage door was accidentally left open.

“We have an electric garage door, and it should close automatically after it’s triggered by an exhaust, but for some reason this time it didn’t close at all,” he said.

“Some opportunist has clearly taken advantage of the situation to come in and take them, and it would be really great if we could get them back. It might be that they get scrapped or taken to a second-hand dealer, but someone might recognise them and let us know.”

The twins began learning how to ride a unicycle after being inspired by a local juggler in the summer of last year.

Mr Martin said: “We bought the yellow one on eBay so they could practice, and they really stuck with it.

“They’ve spent hours practicing. We were amazed at how good they were getting. They have been a lot of tears since we realised they were gone.”

Dorset Police have appealed for information about the theft, which happened between 8.30am-5.30pm on Wednesday, March 27.

Police Constable Simon Shaw, of Poole police, said: “I urge anyone who recalls any suspicious activity in the area of Wimborne Road during the time of the burglary to contact the police as soon as possible.

“If you have been offered these items to buy or think you have seen them, please speak to us.”

Call Dorset Police in confidence on 101 quoting incident number 27:344 for Crimestoppers.