When 14-year-old schoolboy Mitchell Smith parked his distinctive American chopper bicycle outside his Watford family home, he said he felt confident it would be safe.

Although he had not secured it with a lock, he reasoned that the awkward size of the 8ft long bike and the broken back wheel would deter any would-be thieves.

But imagine his surprise when he came to retrieve his bicycle the following day (Thursday, September 1) only to find it had been stolen.

The Breakspeare Close resident said: “I couldn’t believe it was gone. I was given that bike as a Christmas present.

“It’s the second time I’ve had a bike taken, the other one - a Universal Contender mountain bike, was also a Christmas present.

“Perhaps I should have locked it up, but I thought it would be safe outside my front door.

“You can’t ride it as the back wheel is broken, so someone would have had to have wheeled it away or two people would’ve needed to carry it.

“The parts can’t be used individually, so it’s of no use to anyone. For me it’s got sentimental value, it was a present from my family.”

The bike is a distinctive black Pacific Coast American Chopper, with white rimmed wheels, and has security markings on it.

Mitchell’s father, Vance, said: “It’s ridiculous when you can’t even leave your bike outside the front of your house without someone taking it.

“We have CCTV above the front door, but when we went to check it, someone had deliberately unplugged the camera. We’re convinced the theft and the fact the camera had been tampered with are linked.

“It’s such a great big, awkward bike someone must have seen it. It’s really distinctive, I’ve only ever seen one other Chopper in the Watford area.

“We’ve reported it to police, but heard nothing. Mitchell just wants it back.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact police via non-emergency number 101.