A Good Samaritan stepped in to stop a stranger’s bike being stolen – by taking it herself.
Megan Faulkner spotted the “expensive-looking” cycle propped up in Western Road, Brighton, on Wednesday morning and noticed it was unlocked.
When the 28-year-old came back two hours later she decided to “rescue” the bike and ride it home, leaving a note to the owner with her mobile number.
Since then she has heard nothing and now has a brand new £200 bicycle locked up in her garden.
Megan, who lives in a housing co-operative in Brighton, insisted she was “just looking out for people” – but one cycling campaigner branded her unusual move “a bit weird”.
Adam Pride, secretary of Brighton-based cycling group Bricycles, said: “It’s obviously a good deed done with the best of intentions, but I think it’s an odd thing to do.
“At the end of the day she’s taken someone’s bike without their permission, so it’s a bit risky I would have thought.
“Some people might be annoyed even if they had left their bike unlocked.”
Megan’s message to the bicycle’s owner read: “Hi. Did you leave your bike unlocked? I have it. Give me a call and I can return it.”
She said: “I was just walking past and I saw the bike still unlocked, so I started asking everyone if it belonged to them.
I figured the owner wouldn’t want it stolen so I just took it.
“I’ve never done anything like this before, but I had my bike stolen recently and I know how frustrating that can be, so I wanted to do something.”
A spokeswoman for Sussex Police said the force would advise people not to rescue unlocked bikes.
They said: “We would advise anyone who comes across an insecure bike to contact police on 101 to inform them of the location so it can be secured or taken to a station for safety.”
If you know the bike’s owner contact the newsdesk on 01273 544512.
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