POLICE who were called to investigate a man cycling around in the dark have revealed how they ended up giving him a new bike.
Officers from Braintree in Essex had initially gone to speak to the man after reports from concerned members of the public last Thursday.
However, cops were stunned when they discovered the man using a child’s bike with no lights to get around.
The cyclist revealed he was new to the area and currently in “hardship”, using the bike as his only means of transport to work.
Kindhearted police then returned the next day with a new bike for the man, thought to be worth around £300.
The heartwarming story was shared by Inspector Colin Cox on Twitter shortly afterwards.
He posted a photo of the lucky recipient with his new Correra bike and said: “Yesterday officers found a man riding a child’s bike in the dark.
“He’d just moved to the area after suffering some hardship, struggling to make ends meet.
“Officers managed to locate a more suitable bike and were able to surprise him with it today at his work.”
Essex Police – Braintree District posted the same image to their Facebook page, explaining the man’s heartbreaking circumstances.
They added: “He was struggling to make ends meet and his only way to get to work every day was to cycle on a child’s bike.”
The police also revealed they had issued the man with new lights to keep him safe.
Inspector Cox’s quickly went viral, racking up more than 17,000 likes and warming the hearts of social media users.
@oakhillcamping wrote: “Well done. A moment of kindness could impact this guy for life.”
@1smartmonkey added: “Good old fashioned community policing, well done all involved.”
Stephanie Lindsay saidd: “What an awesome bit of compassionate policing.”
And Louise Reed added: “Amazing, so humbling to read, this is what it’s all about, helping people in their time of need.
“To the police officers who took time out to do this and put his situation in your thoughts, well done.”
