A DERBYSHIRE pensioner said he would never return to Bournemouth unless it was to retrieve his stolen bike, which was stolen just two hours after he purchased it.

Brian Westhead travelled five hours from Derbyshire on Tuesday, August 20, to buy an electric bike for his wife.

After buying the Specialized Turbo Vado SL eBike, he "couldn't wait to get it home" to his wife.

Brian said: "With a couple of hours to kill after collecting the bike, I went for a ride along the seafront and took a souvenir photo in front of an iconic beach hut."

He then stopped at a cafe near the pier to get a meal before the return journey.

"I locked up the bike with a ¼ in thick steel cable and went in to order. I even joked with the staff about the table I wanted outside so I could keep an eye on it", added Brian.

By the time he had ordered and returned outside, the bike had disappeared.

He said: "I was in disbelief.

"My trip to Bournemouth has left a bitter taste in my mouth. It was not the kind of place I expected this to happen.

"I had been searching for this specific bike for months."

Brian said he thinks the person was tooled up and waiting to steal the bike, as they would have needed substantial bolt cutters to break the chain.

Brian spoke immediately to Seafront Security, who were "very helpful and brought up a CCTV image in minutes, but it didn't really help.

"I had to run to catch the train, £1,200 out of pocket with nothing to show for it."

He said: "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!"

The keen cyclist added: "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 steal cable I had was not enough."

A spokesperson for Dorset Police said: "We received a report at 6.57pm on Tuesday, August 20, 2024, 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."