CYCLIST "Sammy" Jones' aim to provide a memorial for a teenage pal has been hit by a cruel thief.

The Atherton charity pedaller was hoping to ride from Manchester to Blackpool to provide a lasting tribute to former neighbour David Brown who died last summer in a canal tragedy.

But a tea-time sneak thief stole his £600 Saracen mountain bike parked at the front of his Gloucester Street home.

Steve 'Sammy' Jones, 38, and a former neighbour of the Tyldesley 15 year-old whose body was recovered last August from the Leeds-Liverpool Canal at Leigh, told The Journal:

"I knew David and his dad and mum and I intended doing a sponsored ride and using the proceeds to provide a lasting memorial.

"Now my bike has been stolen I'm stuck. I have completed charity rides in aid of SSAFA and the British Heart Foundation.

"If anybody knows where my bike is please contact the Police."

The stolen cycle was a distinctive eight-months-old green Saracen with tri-bars, slick tyres, computer, lights and an extra high seat post.

Cycle specialist Joe Illidge, manager of Whittles of Leigh, who supplied Mr Jones' missing bike, said:"The Saracen is very distinctive - no two are alike."

Two men have been charged in connection with David's death.

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