THE DAUGHTER of a disabled veteran has called on callous thieves to return the modified bike he uses to raise funds for charity.

Former soldier Stephen Evans, who lost his leg due to damage sustained while serving in Northern Ireland, was upset to find his specially adapted bike had been stolen from his garage in Darlington recently.

His daughter, Clare, spoke out in a bid to trace the thieves and get her father’s beloved bike back.

She said there had been several sightings of the bike since it was stolen and urged those responsible to return it.

The bike - described as a hybrid recumbent bike with steering wheel to the side - was stolen from a garage in Westmoreland Street, Darlington at some point between the afternoon of Saturday, October 18 and Tuesday, October 21.

She said: “It’s disgusting that someone could take something from somebody at a disadvantage as it is.

“My dad’s used this bike to do charity rides and he’s always out and about on it – it’s important he gets it back so he can continue to do that charity work and to enjoy using it personally as he can’t use a normal bike.

“It means a lot to him, it’s his property and it’s awful. Whoever’s done it must have a brass neck to be riding it around.

“It’s a distinctive bike and it’s of no real use to anybody else, but he saved up a lot for it and is upset and angry that somebody could steal it from him.”

Anyone with information about the theft is asked to contact police on non-emergency number 101 quoting incident number 73 of 21st October or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.