A 15-year old’s beloved bike was stolen after a train guard insisted he leave it unsecured in the guard’s van while he travelled from Newton Abbott to Ivybridge.

His mother, Elle Vuitton who lives in Ivybridge, says she is unable to claim for the bike under insurance due to the railway’s policy of bikes being left unlocked. She has slammed Great Western Railway for its treatment of her son, who has been left devastated by the experience.

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.

The problems arose 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. Elliot wanted to remain with his bike, which is a downhill mountain bike worth £1400, but was told he could not do that. He told the guard he wanted to chain his bike up but was told he could not do that either as it could delay the train if they were forced to wait for people to unlock their bikes before disembarking.

Elliot was upset by the way the guard spoke to him and concerned for the security of his bike which is his “pride and joy”, according to his mother. The guard reassured him that the bike would be safe as it would be locked in the van and he would keep an eye on it.

However, when Elliot went to retrieve his bike 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 from Totnes station shows that a man entered the van and removed Elliot’s bike while the train was stopped at Totnes station. British Transport Police have, so far, been unable to identify the thief.

Elliot has been left devastated by the loss of his bike and his mother, Elle, has launched a Facebook campaign to try and reunite son with his distinctive orange Bossnut Calibre bike, which has been photographed parked in Totnes since it was stolen.

She said: “I contacted Great Western Railway to report the bike missing immediately after the incident but they were unable to put me through to Totnes station as, apparently, stations no longer have phones. The rail company subsequently told me that “any items of personal property brought onto our trains or into our stations is done so at the owner’s risk and we are not liable for its loss, theft or damage”. I can’t claim on insurance because the bike was left unlocked and I can’t afford to buy him a replacement. Elliot has had to give up his downhill mountain bike training as a result.”

Mrs Vuitton says it is “disgusting” that there is no CCTV camera in the van where bikes are stored and says that the rail company could “at least provide some kind of security” as they do not accept liability for loss.

A spokesman for Great Western Railway said: “We are really disappointed to hear that someone has taken Elliott’s bike and have offered any help we can to the British Transport Police as they continue to investigate this theft.” The company points out that British Transport Police officers routinely patrol its trains and stations across the rail network.

Elliot’s bike is very distinctive and has several special features which he added himself. It is a bright orange Bossnut Calibre full suspension model with special Magic Mary tyres and red metallic ends on the handlebars. A photograph posted in response to one of Mrs Vuitton’s Facebook posts shows the same bike parked at the top of Collins Road in Totnes where it joins The Narrows.

Before it was stolen, Elliot spent “all day every day on his bike”, according to his mother. He is passionate about downhill mountain biking and had fitted special Magic Mary silicon tyres to prevent punctures, as well as spending many hours training.

Mrs Vuitton said: “To help fund the extras on the bike, Elliot sent out flyers in the local area offering to do odd jobs - gardening, dog walking, babysitting etc. He was really lucky and a couple of local residents did ask him to do some manual labour, which paid for the extras.”

Mrs Vuitton said that her son was “in tears” at the idea of someone else riding around on his precious bike and not taking good care of it. She has appealed to people in and around Totnes to keep a look out for the bike.

If you know anything about the theft, contact British Transport Police on 0800 405040 quoting reference number 1800048152.