A TEENAGER was left stranded for hours at a rural railway station near Andover after his bike was stolen.

Tyler Gabriel returned to Grateley Station following a recent trip to Reading to find his bike had been taken and the cycle lock broken.

The 17-year-old parked the orange, black and white Whistle mountain bike in the cycle racks adjacent to Platform 1 using a lock to secure it shortly before 8.30am on Wednesday, May 18.

But when he returned from Reading later that day the bike had gone.

He said: “I got off the train and went down the stairs to look for my bike – it is orange so you can see it from a distance – but it had gone. The lock looked as though it had been cracked apart.”

He informed the attendant who told him to report it to the British Transport Police but it meant that he was stranded at the station for several hours.

He continued: “I had to call my mum but she was a few hours because she was working so I just had to hang around the station waiting.”

Tyler, who is a student at Peter Symonds College studying product design and a BTEC in IT, bought the bike around five years ago, costing him £500.

“I was furious that someone would steal it,” he said. “It was my first bike, I’ve travelled all over the country with it to Wales, Oxford and London. It is heartbreaking to see all my money gone in the space of a few hours.”

The teenager lives with his mum Jane, a beauty therapist, in Monxton.

Describing the impact of the theft, he said: “I am really quite stranded, there is no bus service and I have to rely on my mum or other people. I would use it to go and see my girlfriend in Andover or ride over to see my friends in Grateley.

“I’ve had to walk to Grateley four or five times to get the train, so I’m spending over an hour walking to the station, and my mum has had to miss work a few times just to come and pick me up.”

“I just want my bike back; I can’t afford to just pay out £500 for another one.”

A spokesman for British Transport Police (BTP) said: “We are investigating a bike theft that took place at Grateley station.

“As part of our investigation, officers from BTP undertook a number of actions, including speaking to station staff but have not been able to identify the person responsible thus far.

“The bike is described as a Whistle mountain bike with an orange and white seat which had a red padlock wrapped around the frame. Anyone with information is asked to contact British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference 200 of 14/06/2016.”