A 72-YEAR-OLD cancer sufferer is 'over the moon' after his stolen electric bike was mysteriously returned.

Jeffrey Walton of Chesterton near Bicester described his beloved bike as an 'escape' after being diagnosed with terminal cancer of the stomach and lungs in April 2015.

He was left devastated when his bike was stolen from outside his daughter's home in The Green, Chesterton, on Saturday, March 11.

But thanks to the rallying efforts of the community and coverage in the Bicester Advertiser, the bike was returned on Friday to the spot where it was stolen.

Mr Walton said: "I am absolutely over the moon.

"I use the bike every day, it is my independence: the bike means everything to be because it is my escape from cancer."

The father-of-three was given 18 months to live by the doctors, but 23 months on he is still riding his bike everyday – something that his daughter Emma Pullen puts down to having that independence.

She said the bike turned up outside her home, five minutes from her father's home, just before 11pm when someone rang the doorbell and left it behind.

She said: "I didn't answer straight away as I was not expecting anyone so I shouted hello, then eventually opened the door a few minutes later and the bike was just there in exactly the same condition as when it was taken."

Mrs Pullen said she couldn't see anyone that could have left the bike but rang her dad straight away to give him the good news.

She said: "When I phoned him he was just over the moon and couldn't believe it – we were both gobsmacked.

"These things don't happen once something has been stolen but all the coverage obviously helped."

The electric bike is specifically lightweight to enable Mr Walton to be able to ride.

When it was stolen the father-of-three was met with a wave of community support: an online fundraising page was set up to replace it and more than £650 has been raised.

He said: "I am overwhelmed, people as far as Canada have donated their hard earned money. All the support and comments have been amazing, I am truly grateful to everyone."

The family are now looking at which charities to donate the money raised online to but said they plan to donate to a cancer charity as well as a children's charity.

Mr Walton has thanked everyone for the support in getting his bike back and has since been riding around the village every single day.