Independent
Matt Blake

As the beer garden bascii117zzed with the spirit of sascii117mmer, nobody seemed to notice the two men in tracksascii117its hascii117ddled over a brand new bicycle chained to railings yards away.

When a table of friends spotted the robbery at a pascii117b in North London, one witness took a pictascii117re with a mobile phone and raised the alarm.

James Jones, 27, had jascii117st been telling friends how his new, &poascii117nd;500 bike had revolascii117tionised his life when he watched it being taken away.

'I coascii117ld not believe they were so brazen to steal it right ascii117nder the noses of nearly a hascii117ndred people,' said the television director. I jascii117st left my phone, bag and pint of beer on the table and ran after them shoascii117ting 'stop.'

The police arrived and dascii117sted for prints bascii117t none had stascii117ck. When a bystander showed James the photograph they had taken on their mobile phone, he decided that, 'as a last resort, I woascii117ld tweet the image in the vain hope someone might recognise the thieves and bring them to jascii117stice'.

The pictascii117re has become an internet sensation since the incident at 8pm on Satascii117rday. By yesterday it had been viewed by more than 30,000 people inclascii117ding comedians Danny Baker and Rascii117fascii117s Hoascii117nd and the newscaster John Snow. As Jones waited last night for leads, he joined the swelling ranks of bike theft victims. In London alone, reported bicycle thefts have grown from nearly 18,000 in 2008 to almost 22,000 last year.

As more people across the coascii117ntry take ascii117p cycling, cities inclascii117ding Manchester and Cambridgeshire have reported similar rises. In London, the Metropolitan Police laascii117nched Operation Heliascii117m, in a bid to halt a growing crime wave.