On-call firefighter’s bike pinched

One of the men responsible for saving lives in the Welshpool area has had his mode of transport pinched, for the third time!

Crew Manager Matt Roberts leaves his bike (pictured) chained outside Rikki Lloyd’s, where he works, so that he can make a rapid response to emergencies and reach the fire station ahead of his team.

But at 6.52pm on Sunday night, someone committed the theft by avoiding the CCTV cameras operating in the area. Sadly, it is the second time in a month that a Welshpool firefighter has had their mode of transport to the station stolen from their place of work.

“The culprit clearly knew what they were doing as they approached from the alley between Signatures and Rikki's, then cut the lock and wheeled it backwards without setting foot in the lit area where the CCTV covers," said Matt.

“It’s very frustrating as it’s not the first time. Chains and padlocks are not cheap and with money being tight for everyone at the moment, I'm not sure when I'll be able to afford another one.

“I’m hoping to make the bike too hot to handle, in the hope that whatever scumbag took it, returns it.

“The bike allows me to get to the station much faster and easier than when I used to run from the butchers. It gives me valuable thinking time as a Crew Manager to arrange crew and get a picture of the incident.”

After one of his previous two thefts, Matt found the bike leaning up against a house in Mount Street.

“I knocked on the door and windows but nobody answered so I took it back!” he said.

Sadly, there appears to be a pattern forming of firefighters having their bikes stolen, with Firefighter Nick Andreou having his taken in the past month from the rear of Andrew’s Chip Shop.

If you have any information, contact Welshpool police on 101.