A couple who had their moped stolen are furious after being told to pay £270 for the return of the £300 vehicle.

To add insult to injury, the 50cc moped was found by police just yards from the couple's home.

But instead of knocking on Francesca and Nigel Shaw's door, police called the vehicle recovery company Ontime to take it to its depot 13 miles away in Bolney, near Haywards Heath.

The couple then received a letter at their home in Buckingham Road, Brighton, telling them the bike was in the pound.

Mrs Shaw, who owns the bike with her husband, phoned Ontime to discuss collecting the moped but was shocked to be told she would be charged.

She said: "There was no mention in the letter of a fee.

"They told us on the phone they were going to charge us £270, which is ridiculous.

"I told them I wasn't paying that and they said we could have it back for £105.

"But we are the victims for God's sake - I'm not paying it."

The moped was not taxed or insured and did not have an MoT because it was kept off the road in their garden, out of view.

Mrs Shaw said police would have saved themselves and the family a lot of bother if they had just returned the moped.

She said: "If the police had checked the bike on the computer, they would have known it was registered at our address just down the road.

"They told us they needed to take it away to have it checked for dabs fingerprints.

"For heaven's sake, it's only a moped."

The couple reported the moped stolen on July 10 and it was spotted in their street and recovered on July 18.

A Brighton police spokeswoman said: "If the police come across a vehicle, we can seize it if we believe it's been stolen or used in a crime."

"The statutory fee of £105 is part of the Road Traffic Act.

"The company can also charge £12 a day for storage. Most people claim the fee back on their insurance."

An Ontime spokesman said his company was always painted as villains but its staff worked hard to keep charges low for people who genuinely could not afford the full cost of having their vehicles returned.

He said: "We picked up the motorcycle and there were charges for the lorry, the staff and £6-a-day storage.

"We are the nice company who have said just pay the statutory charge of £105.

"We recognise there are people who can't afford to pay the full amount."