A bike worth almost £4,000 has been stolen, with the thief pretending to be an interested buyer.

Police are appealing for information after the bike was stolen at about 4.30pm on Saturday, when the offender went to the victim’s home in Letchmore Road, Stevenage.

The bike had been advertised for sale on the internet and the offender had gone to view it, purporting to be a genuine buyer.

The offender asked to test the bike and gave the victim a laptop bag, which the victim assumed had a laptop inside. The offender then cycled off down Letchmore Road in the direction of Walkern Road. He didn’t return and after a short while the victim checked the bag, which he found contained books.

The offender is described as a man of Mediterranean appearance, aged in his late 20s to early 30s, and about 6ft 1/2ins tall, with short dark hair and stubble. He was wearing a grey beanie hat, rectangular narrow glasses, a long grey tweed over coat and brown corduroy trousers.

PC David Vince is investigating and said: “I would appeal to anyone who believes they have seen this bike for sale or who has been offered it for sale to contact me with information.

“I would also appeal to people in the local area to call in if they saw a man on this bike around the time of the incident. It is believed the offender may have been in the company of another person in a van and that the bike may have been loaded into a van. If you saw this, or anything suspicious, please call.

“Finally, if you have had a bike for sale and been approached by a man matching this description or in similar circumstances, please get in touch.”

Anyone with information should contact PC Vince via the Herts police non-emergency number 101 quoting crime reference number E1/14/944. Alternatively call Crimestoppers, the independent charity, anonymously on 0800 555 111.