A FATHER of four young children saved for a year to buy £3,500 motorbike only to see it wrecked by a thieves.

But Steven Bond and his wife Kimberley have been determined not to let the experience ruin Christmas for the family.

Steven Bond, a department manager for a Lyons holiday park, had the Hyosung GTR 125 motorcycle stolen from outside his home on Wood Road, Rhyl just before Christmas - with L plates still attached.

The bike was later found on a nearby footpath but it was left so badly damaged, it is likely to be a write-off.

Kimberley said: “It's upsetting to happen at any time of the year, let alone at this time of year, but we didn’t let it affect our Christmas.

"We have a newborn baby, a two year old, a four year old and seven year old – it wouldn’t have been fair on them.

“All we have told them so far is that the bike has gone away to the bike shop for winter.”

She added: "We didn’t know it [the bike] had been stolen until a delivery lady knocked on our door with a takeaway and said she had seen two lads in tracksuits wheeling the bike – which, luckily, she knew was my husband’s – down an alley.”

The family immediately alerted the police, who swung into action.

A police spokesman said: "We received a report that a black Hyosung motorcycle had been stolen.

“Ten minutes later, attending officers arrived and found the motorcycle abandoned near a footpath in the vicinity.

"The offenders made off on foot towards the Brickfield Ponds area.

“We recovered the vehicle and enquiries are ongoing. No arrests have been made.”

Steven 33, bought the bike last summer to commute to work and had booked time off in January to take his test. Now he is having to walk to work

The motorcycle has been turned over to the insurers but as part of the company’s policy, the Bonds cannot see the extent of the damage as it is part of an ongoing investigation.

Kimberley, 29, said: "My husband was told by the insurance company its more than likely to be a write off.

"We’ve got no idea how long the insurance claim is going to take. It could be days, weeks or even months. We just don’t know.

“If we don’t get the full value of the bike off the insurance company, there is little to no chance he [Steven] could buy a new vehicle.”

She added: “We can’t thank North wales Police enough for such a quick response and doing a good job."

Police are urging anyone with any information to contact them via the web live chat on north-wales.police.uk/contact/chat-support.aspx, phoning 101 or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 and quoting the reference number RC17189964.