"IT was a brilliant belated Christmas present." That was how John Davidson described the moment when he took a phone call from the Police to inform him that his beloved bike had been found undamaged in Earlston.

The message came just hours after the Border Telegraph had highlighted the theft of his Diamondback Response Sport bike last week.

Tourette's sufferer Davidson, 40, had his only mode of transport nicked from outside his sister's house in Langlee Drive early on Christmas Day.

It put a huge dampener on his Christmas as he frantically tried to find his bike.

With his condition John finds it difficult to use public transport and his bike is his only way of getting around.

John said: "It was on Thursday morning that I received the phone call from a lady at Lauder Police Station saying that she believed they had found my bike.

"One of the local Policemen had spotted the bike leaning up against a garden wall in Earlston. She asked if I would come over to identify it. I managed to get a lift across and right enough it was my bike, and the best thing about it is there has been no damage to it."

A Police spokesperson confirmed that enquiries were still ongoing to apprehend the alleged thief.

John added: "I can't thank the Border Telegraph enough for helping raise the alarm, there is no doubt you made a huge impact and to get my bike back within 24 hours of your story is just brilliant. It was a brilliant belated Christmas present."