A cyclist was reunited with her bike after raising the alarm when she spotted it being sold on Gumtree.

The bike, a £500 Specialized Ariel, was advertised on the classified website for £200 under the guise the seller was moving to Australia.

The rightful owner alerted Richmond police, who pretended to be interested in buying the bike and arranged to meet the seller at Asda in Roehampton on Thursday, October 31.

Plain clothed officers met the seller and, after a brief struggle at the front of the supermarket, police arrested two people and recovered two stolen bikes.

Nathan Crane of Battersea pleaded guilty at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court the next day to handling stolen goods and was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison.

Detective Sergeant Chris Brown from Richmond CID said: “Burglars and bike thieves will always be looking to offload their loot on sites like Gumtree and eBay.

“We urge the public to take precautions when purchasing a cycle from social media sites. Always ask for proof of purchase and meet in a public place.

“We will pursue burglars and bike thieves wherever we can however, please help yourself not to become a victim of crime and always secure your cycle with a strong lock and where possible keep it hidden away out of sight.”

The Specialized bike was returned to the rightful owner and police are looking for the owner of the second bike, a Trek mountain bike.

If this bike belongs to you contact Richmond CID on 020 8721 5844.