Cameron is reunited with his stolen bike

The Conservative leader was reunited with the six-year-old machine last night after it was stolen on Wednesday evening as he popped into a Tesco supermarket in West London to buy a salad.

Mr Cameron, 41, who can often be seen cycling between his Notting Hill home and the House of Commons, had locked the bike around a 2ft-high bollard – allowing thieves to lift it and its security chain clean off and make their escape.

Upset: David Cameron calls for help after his bike went missing

The silver and black Scott commuter bike, which is worth more than £250, had been given to him by a friend.

It was found abandoned in a side street near where it went missing, minus the front wheel but otherwise intact right down to the Tory leader's helmet and even the lock.

Local community elder Ernest Theophile, 60, managed to track the bike down after speaking with youths in the area.

Mr Cameron said: "I'm very surprised to have it back - it's incredible. I never thought I'd see it again.

"It's priceless to me. I've done over a thousand miles on it and three sponsored bike rides of 250 miles each so it's like an old friend. It's fantastic."

"I'm surprised they didn't take the helmet - you'd think they would get something for that on eBay."

Keen cyclist: David Cameron on his bike

Mr Theophile, described as a Labour voter who recruits young people to help run a "social business" selling electric-powered eco-bikes to stop them turning to crime, said he was delighted to have helped.

He told the Sunday Mirror: "After a chat with some of the kids, I got their trust and respect and they told me where the bike was. It just shows that the kids want to do good. It's just about the right communication with them," he said.

"You never want to see anyone have their bike nicked - not even a Tory," he said - revealing that he once chastised the Tory leader for riding the wrong way down a one-way street.

Fingerprints from the bike have been taken by the police in an attempt to identify who stole it.

On Thursday, Mr Cameron told reporters: ‘If anyone has seen it, I would very much
like it back. To me it was absolutely priceless. It’s like losing an old friend.’

He also said jokingly: ‘I’m contemplating introducing sharia law for bicycle theft.’

Although he reported the theft on Scotland Yard’s online crime reporting website, he
said he was pessimistic about its return, adding: ‘I’m not holding my breath.’

But yesterday his spokesman said: ‘It was tracked down and returned to him this morning.’

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: ‘Police have been invited to examine the bike and enquiries continue.’