A Swindon motorcycle club's members have rallied to help the young owner of a stolen moped.

Adam Turner was told he would have to pay £170 to release the motorbike from Wiltshire Police's storage yard.

But after reading about the tale in the Adver, kind-hearted members of Pinkertons Motorcycle Club donated the victim £170 to pay the release fee.

Mandy Evans said: "We were very sad about what happened and felt sorry for the young man.

"We wanted to give him a helping hand as a fellow motorcyclist.

"So we had a whip round and raised some money to help him get back on the road.

"He was so shocked when he found out, and said it had restored his faith in the kindness of strangers."

As previously reported, thieves allegedly hotwired a moped and took it for a joyride around a Walcot housing estate in February.

Police then received a call about the theft, located the moped, and temporarily held it in a storage yard. 

The owner, 25-year-old Adam Turner, was relieved that his vehicle had been found.

But Wiltshire Police told him he would have to pay £150 to get it back, plus £10 for each of the two days it had been stored away

The force said the charge is standard policy and that the costs should be covered by the vehicle owner's insurance, but the owner's mum, Tracey Ryan told this newspaper the vehicle's insurance policy would not cover it.

The moped had also been badly damaged by the joyriders, who allegedly jammed a screwdriver in the ignition and broke the steering.

Adam had the chance to thank Mandy in person when they met for the first time a few days ago.

He said: "I'm very touched, I can't believe it, it's crazy.

"I was so happy to hear there are still some good people left in this world, and all thanks to a story in the Adver."

Mum Tracey added: "Adam was so overwhelmed by this generosity, he said he'd love to thank them properly.

"Thank you so much for the thoughtful and incredibly kind gesture.

"It really has restored our faith in people.

"Adam was pretty down about the whole situation, but he's back to his old self now.

"We never expected something like this to happen. A nice positive story for a change."

Pinkertons Motorcycle Club has been part of Swindon since 1992 and is now based in Swindon Rugby Club on Greenbridge Road, which is where Adam and Mandy met.