Ulverston teenager paid almost £500 to get his stolen motorbike back

Declan Martyn, who is an apprentice for BAE Systems in Barrow, was devastated to find his bike had been stolen on October 28. 

He uses the 1989 Honda Vision bike on his daily commute from Ulverston. 

A couple of hours later, Cumbria police informed him that the bike had been recovered in an alleyway nearby and that a suspect had been arrested. 

By the time Declan arrived, an officer had called a recovery vehicle for it to be taken to police forensics to check for fingerprints.

Declan then had to get the bus to work for over a month which extended his commute from 20 minutes to 40 minutes each way.

He said: "I kept ringing for updates and was told I'd be notified once the forensics were done.

"After around three weeks I called the police who informed me that it was ready to be picked up from Furness Cars and Commercials. 

"I asked about a potential fee and the officer stated the fee for the vehicle would be on the police."

Declan later rang Furness Cars and Commercials to be told that the bike had been released but that the fee was on the owners of the vehicle - with police later confirming this to them. 

He  then eventually got through to the officer in charge of his case. 

He said: "He seemed confused and was unable to confirm whether or not it is on me to pay.  He said he would get back to me in five minutes but didn't.

"I went to the police station however they stated that the bike should still be held and that payment will be discussed after this. 

"The recovery centre then told me the police had released it, who told them the fees were still my responsibility, which were increasing by the day."

After receiving threatening letters for payment, which he missed whilst at work because they had to be signed for, he ended up having to pay £478. 

The letter stated that Declan had to collect the bike within seven days or it would be disposed of because it had been 'abandoned' caused an 'obstruction', or 'parked contrary to statutory prohibition'.

Declan said: " I never asked for the bike to be recovered and was told it was for the investigation. 

"If I knew the cost I wouldn't have let it be recovered and could have easily pushed it back to my house which was five minutes away.

"I’m 19 years old and moved up a year ago for an apprenticeship, so money is tight and this bill was simply unaffordable."

Despite this, Declan ended up paying the nearly £500 bill. After getting in touch with the Mail, Cumbria police confirmed that Declan will be reimbursed the funds and he now has his bike back.

In terms of the investigation, the force said: "The incident remains under investigation with a suspect having been arrested at the time and is currently on police bail."

Declan still hasn't been able to use the bike for his commute as he has had to replace the parts that were damaged when it was stolen. He added: "I'm very relieved to get the bike back as it was very stressful.

"I think people just need to get as much clarity from the police from the beginning to understand who’s paying for what when they take a vehicle away for an investigation."