A MAN was mugged for his £3000 bike whilst trying to help Ukrainian refugees find a home in Worcester.

David Carter, of Malvern, was cycling through Worcester yesterday afternoon attempting to find a home for a Ukrainian family looking to flee the war with Russia.

While he was cycling, he was mugged by two men on bikes who proceeded to steal his Raleigh Centros Grand Tour electric bike.

Mr Carter said:"I was cycling south on a towpath near Bromwich Road and the River Severn which is where google maps took me.

"Two young men on bikes overtook me and as I was approaching them, one threw his bike in front of me forcing me to stop.

"They then wrestled me to the ground, and one of the men put his foot on my chest. I was shouted at to let go of the bike and they rode off with it."

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The man who threw his bike on the floor left it behind, so Mr Carter was able to use that to cycle to safety.

He said: "I took the bike and rode it to where there were people and called 999. Police took the bike away when they arrived and they were very helpful.

"They are taking the theft very seriously. When the bike was stolen, a bag was on the bike with a lot of my stuff and the thieves dumped the bag in some bushes whilst they cycled over Diglis Bridge.

"Two women saw the thieves throw the bag and were able to reunite it with me so I am very grateful to them."

Despite the theft, Mr Carter is more worried about the family he is attempting to help in Ukraine.

He said: "I was contacted by a big family with five kids, whose father is voluntarily staying behind to fight for his country.

"They need to get out and I just could not say no. I am funding a place for them to stay for a year so this still has my full attention."

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If you have any knowledge of the theft, or may have been in the area at the time and saw anything suspicious, you can contact West Mercia police by using the 'Tell Us About' form on the website www.westmercia.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/, quoting incident number 22/105429/22.

Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111 or visiting https://crimestoppers-uk.org/.