A NINE-YEAR-OLD boy's summer holiday has been ruined after his new bicycle was stolen from outside his home.

Danny Phillips will not be able to ride with friends this summer because his disabled mother cannot afford to replace the £100 bicycle.

Danny was playing with a friend on Saturday afternoon when his blue mountain bike was stolen.

Because of the bad weather he and his friend had been cooped up and were happy to be outside again.

When the pair ducked in doors for refreshment, Danny left the bicycle on the driveway, rather than take the bike inside with him, as he had been doing.

When he went outside little more than 60 seconds later it was gone.

The schoolboy was so upset he could hardly speak about the incident.

He said: "It was a great bike and I'll never get it back. I'm not happy."

Danny said whoever took his pride and joy were "total losers".

"They had no right to do it, you can't trust anyone," he said.

Ms Marion Phillips said her son was "totally and utterly distraught".

She brought him the mountain bike from Asda three weeks ago, deliberately getting an adult-size frame so he would not grow out of it.

She said: "I'm on income support and there's no way I'm going to be able to afford another one."

Ms Phillips, who lives with her family in Longspring, Watford said it had shaken her faith in people's honesty.

June 13, 2002 17:30