A teenager’s stolen bicycle has been returned after a South Hams Newspapers appeal.

His mother, Elle Vuitton who lives in Ivybridge, said her son Elliot, a student at Ivybridge Community College, travelled for the first time with his bike on Wednesday, July 4 from Ivybridge to Newton Abbot. As Ivybridge is an unmanned station, he boarded the train with his bike and kept it with him until he disembarked at Newton Abbot.

On his return journey when he boarded the 15.55 from Newton Abbot heading towards Ivybridge. The guard told him that he must store his bike in the guard’s van... unlocked.

However, when Elliot went to retrieve his bike, worth around £1,400, at Ivybridge station, it had gone. A different guard was then on duty and he said he knew nothing about the bike, which had not been in the van when he took over at Totnes.

CCTV footage shows that a man entered the van and removed Elliot’s bike while the train was stopped at Totnes station.

But, following an appeal in the Totnes Times and Ivybridge & South Brent Gazette, the bike has been recovered.

Mum Elle said: "Thank you from the bottom of my heart all you lovely people who have helped." She went on to give special thanks to the Totnes Times and our Totnes-today website.

She the distinctive orange Bossnut Calibre bike was "hidden in the guy’s house who took it... The guy who took it handed it in at the police station. It really did become too hot to handle."

Elle added that the story in the Totnes Times was instrumental in the bike’s recovery. She said: "I think that clinched it."Elle messaged our reporter Kate Philbin with the news. She said: "I’m still in shock. A police riot van pulled up outside the house, the police officer had it in the van as it was too big to get in a car. Basically we really did make it too hot to handle. The guy we think saw the editorial you did and that, along with all my social media posts, realised he couldn’t ever ride it and maybe felt guilty after the editorial and basically walked into the police station and handed it back. It’s not been damaged either. Elliot is absolutely over the moon. I can’t believe it, never thought we would see it again."Thank you, thank you, thank you. I really believe the piece in the paper did it."