A LITTLE girl who lost her hands to meningitis has a new bike thanks to the generosity of local traders.

Tilly Lockey, eight, of Blackhill, Consett, County Durham, needs costly prosthetic hands to cope with everyday tasks after being afflicted with the deadly Meningococcal Septicaemia bug when she was just 15 months old.

Tilly’s parents set up a fund-raising appeal because Tilly will need new sets of hands as she grows.

Her specially-adapted bike was taken by thieves from a garage at her grandmother’s home one night in September.

Bikes belonging to her sisters, Tia and Lucy-Anna, were also stolen.

Police found them a few days later and returned them to the family.

But while they were missing, officers asked traders if another bike could be provided for Tilly in case the original could not be traced.

The Clearance Bargains store in Stanley offered to give a ‘Huffy’ pedal cycle in pink and white and decorated with colourful flowers.

It is needed because Tilly will soon be too big for her original adapted model.

The new model is being modified for her by the University Hospital of North Durham’s metaphysics department in Durham City.

Today (Friday, October 24) it was presented to Tilly and her family by Durham Chief Constable Mike Barton at Consett Police Station.

Tilly’s mother, Sarah, said: “We are extremely happy. It is overwhelming to have stuff like this given to your children.

“We just wanted our bikes back, so to get them back and to then to have this generosity is overwhelming.”

Mr Barton said: “We are completely victim-focussed now.

“Having successfully investigated the burglary, recovered the stolen property, and then for a local business to generously give the victim a brand new bike – one that Tilly has grown in to – is just a good news story all round.”

A 36-year-old woman and a 33-year-old man were arrested on suspicion of burglary and have been bailed pending further enquiries into the incident. A file has been prepared for consideration by the Crown Prosecution Service.