A much-loved push bike which had been stolen has been reunited with its owner, thanks to a campaign spearheaded by special constables.

Officers in the Braintree division launched the bid to beat bicycle bandits back in October.

Since then events have been held to promote bike crime prevention and encourage owners to have their bikes postcoded.

More than £50,000 worth of bikes have been stolen in Braintree district this year.

But Denise Scrivener, of Connaught Gardens, Braintree, was one of the lucky half-dozen to get their bikes back since the campaign began.

Mrs Scrivener reported the theft and had little hope her bike would be found, but a member of the public stumbled across it weeks later.

Campaign organiser special constable Doug Warren said postcoding sessions were planned for the New Year and more action was being planned.

He said: "We're expecting to do a lot in the New Year with kids getting new bikes for Christmas. We have returned half a dozen bikes because of postcoding. We're going to target hotspot areas where bike theft is rife in the New Year."

The campaign is set to continue until the end of 2001. The next postcoding session is at the Grove Centre, Witham, on January 13 between 11am and 4pm.

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