A bike that was pulled out of a canal by two rookie magnet fishers have managed to track down its owner.
The father and son duo, who wanted to remain anonymous, decided to search for items in the Aylesbury stretch of the Grand Union Canal on Sunday, May 23 in their first-ever session.
After nearly an hour of not finding anything by Bridges 17 and 18, the pair moved towards Bridge 19 where they found a locket with a devil’s face on, before the dad discovered a wheel at the back of the canal.
John Bennett was reunited with his bike on Tuesday, May 25
They then pulled out a Giant Rock mountain back from the murky waters which was still in good condition.
Following the discovery, the son posted an appeal through the Aylesbury Grapevine Facebook page to find its original owner, and after the post was shared more than 50 times, two people came forward to claim that the bike was theirs.
Layla Middleton, along with her boyfriend John Bennett, reached out and after a couple of verification checks were made with the magnet fishers, it was confirmed that the bike belonged to the pair.
John, who got his bike back on May 25, two days after it was found, said: “I’m stunned.
The Facebook post that helped John get his bike back
The initial tag that got the ball moving
John and Layla asked for the original poster to come forward
They got the bike from a skip in Aston Clinton a few years ago
“I can’t believe I have got it back.
“I had spent a bit of money replacing the bike but it was never quite the same, so it means a lot to me that a couple of people were out there and found it.
“I was gutted when it was taken.
John and his girlfriend, Layla, got the bike back
Posted by John Bennett on Tuesday, 6 February 2018
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“Being in Aylesbury, it could have been anyone and the bike could have been anywhere, so I just decided to cut my losses.
The bike was found in Aylesbury on May 23
“I was upset but at the end of the day, I also thought, ‘it is only a bike – I can replace it’.
“However, there are some things money cannot buy and I have done so many miles on it and a bit of my heart was on the bike too, so it was nice to get it back.”
The couple purchased the bike second-hand from the Aston Clinton Household Recycling Centre a few years ago for £15, with John and Layla fixing up the bike with new tyres and pedals.
The bike was found by Bridge 19 in the Aylesbury stretch of the Grand Union Canal
However, the vehicle was taken from them around ‘two/three weeks ago’, just days after John had replaced its tyres, with the couple assuming ‘it had been ‘stripped for parts.’
John, who admitted that he had never heard of magnet fishing, continued: “It is amazing.
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“To be honest, I never expected it.
“It’s great to have it back.
The bike was taken around two to three weeks ago
“After seeing the original article in the Bucks Free Press, I was curious as to know what it was [magnet fishing], and I think I’ll have a go of it myself.”
Bike owners are recommended to register their bikes on www.bikeregister.com.
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