A man whose moped was stolen twice by joyriders has been forced to abandon it after being asked to pay more than £200 to release it from a pound.

Retired telephonist David Cheesman said he was sickened by the charge and decided not to pay to retrieve his bike, which was written off by the thieves.

The 1974 moped was stolen from outside the 74-year-old's Brighton home twice in a few days and left so badly damaged it was no longer roadworthy.

Mr Cheesman, who lives in Herbert Road, said: "The first time it was stolen was at 3am and I was asleep. They must have broken the chain which it was locked up with.

"The police phoned a few days later and said they had caught two youths riding it in Coldean. They arrested them and the bike was taken to a pound in Shoreham by a contractor.

"I went out there with my son and found the bike in a real state with lots of bits missing. The mirrors were gone, the headlights were smashed and someone had broken into the box where I normally put my shopping.

"They said to get it back I would have to pay £105, which seemed ridiculous. It was not roadworthy but I hoped I could get it repaired so I paid the money and took it home."

A few days later, before Mr Cheesman had had time to get the bike repaired, it was stolen for a second time and again ended up in the Shoreham pound, where it was taken by police recovery contractors AADL.

This time the bike was even more badly damaged and Mr Cheesman decided not to pay another £105 to get it out.

He said: "I told them I didn't want the the bike back because it was a write-off. It didn't seem right I should have to pay all this money when I have lost my bike and been the victim of a crime. The £105 charge is the same amount they charge for a car which seems a bit ridiculous."

Mr Cheesman now makes his weekly trips to hospital by public transport, which involves four separate buses.

He said: "It is not very satisfactory but I have had enough. I cannot get another bike because I could not guarantee it would not keep getting stolen."

A police spokesman said: "Since we introduced the recovery contract we reckon we have saved more than £100,000 of council taxpayers money.

"The £105 charge is set nationally but we are willing to use our discretion and make exceptions in cases where the charge seems unfair. Anyone who feels they have been unfairly charged can write to the Chief Constable about it."