A photo of a bike being raced through Hither Green after it was stolen from a world championship rider is going viral, with thousands of people trying to track down the person responsible.

The bike is one of three customised cycles worth around £2,000 each which were stolen from a garden shed in Lee Park some time between May 8 and May 9.

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Their owner, aged 69, was to use one of the bikes to represent Great Britain in the World Championship Duathlon at the end of this month.

A series of pictures of man on one of the bikes in Hither Green werre taken by a witness on May 12 and are circulating on Twitter with the hastag #findvernonsbike.

Detective Constable Louise Mayhook from Lewisham's serious acquisitive crime unit said: "The victim was to use one of them to compete in the world duathalon championships for Great Britain on May 31 in Spain.

"We are keen to trace the person in the image believed to have been riding around on the stolen bike on Sunday."

Anyone with information should call police on 020 8284 8477 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.