A MOTHER is thanking members of the community who pulled together to return her 10-year-old daughters stolen bike.

Donna Gallacher said her daughter, Ashton-lea was left 'heartbroken' after thieves broke into the garden of the family home at Pottery Lane, Weymouth in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Ashton-lea had been given the bike less than 24 hours prior to the theft.

Miss Gallacher said her and her mother had scrapped their money together to buy the pretty pink second-hand bike for Ashton-lea so she could "enjoy the last bit of the summer."

"It broke her heart," Miss Gallacher said. "She was so chuffed when she got it on Monday. She was out on it yesterday showing everyone her new bike and she was so excited to ride it to school."

Miss Gallacher was asleep upstairs when the thieves smashed her kitchen windows, setting off the house alarms at around 1.20am.

She added she thought the 'ear-piercing' had spooked the would-be intruders so the opportunistic thieves grabbed the bike and fled.

Miss Gallacher shared the story on Facebook and said she was 'inundated' with well-wishes as people shared pictures of the stolen bike.

Thanks to the collective efforts of the community, Ashton-lea has now been reunited with her beloved bike.

A Southill resident spotted the bike abandoned on a grass verge at around 5pm yesterday and contacted Miss Gallacher.

Miss Gallacher said her friends then went door to door to ensure the bike was definitely Ashton-lea's before another good Samaritan offered up his van to collect the bike.

By the time the bike made its way back to Pottery Lane, little Ashton-lea was settling down for her dinner at around 6pm.

"There was a knock at the door and we told her to answer it as there was a surprise for her," Miss Gallacher said. "She was over the moon. She was just so happy to have it back and it's in perfect condition."

"We were beginning to lose hope. I was starting to doubt Weymouth after the theft but it's made me believe there's a lot more nice people out there than I thought. I am so grateful to all those people who took the time to read the story and acknowledge it."

A spokesman for Dorset Police said enquiries into the theft and criminal damage were ongoing but no arrests have been made.

Anyone with information about the incident can contact Dorset Police on 101, quoting occurrence number 55180142874.

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