An Ipswich café owner has said she is “absolutely gutted” as her one-of-a-kind bicycle has been stolen for the second time.
Anna Matthews’ bike has gone missing just days before a feature is due to be aired on BBC1 about how she came to be reunited with it after it was nicked last year.
The bicycle is Mrs Matthews’ only mode of transport and it has been specially adapted for her six-year-old daughter Agnes to ride on the back.
The 49-year-old, who runs La Tour Cycle Café based on the Waterfront and formerly of Tower Street, said she was “absolutely gutted” when she got up on Monday morning to find the bike had been taken from outside her home in Norwich Road overnight.
Although the bike wasn’t locked up, Mrs Matthews said it was so distinguishable that she didn’t feel like it needed to be.
“It’s quite elderly now because it sits outside and it’s a bit rusty but it’s much loved by my little girl so it would be great to get it back,” Mrs Matthews added.
The same bicycle was taken almost a year ago to the date, again from outside Mrs Matthews’ house in Norwich Road.
The bike, which cost £1,400 to modify, was retrieved less than 24-hours later by eagle-eyed friend Wendy Mulcahy after it was spotted in the hands of a group of boys outside McDonald’s in Ipswich town centre.
The story was picked up by BBC broadcasters after appearing in the Ipswich Star and is due to feature on an episode of ‘Thief Trackers’ on September 13.
However, Mrs Matthews said: “This time my feeling is I’m not going to get it back because we are on day three now and it’s still not home.”
Since opening La Tour in 2015, Mrs Matthews said she had used the bicycle to pick up supplies for the café - “we have always prided ourselves on the fact our carbon footprint is really low”.
She also uses it to take Agnes to St Helen’s Primary School.
The theft has been reported to Suffolk Constabulary.
Anyone who spots the bike or has any information on its whereabouts should call police 101.
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