THIEVES stole two motorbikes and a quad bike that were given to two boys as Christmas presents.

The bikes were taken from a farm in Burnt Edge Lane, Smithills, on Tuesday afternoon.

One has since been recovered, but the boys’ mum, Dawn Woolham, has launched an appeal to try to get the other two back.

Mrs Woolham, from Smithills, bought the bikes for her sons, 12-year-old Ted and 13-year-old Max, last Christmas and they were kept at her dad’s farm, where there was plenty of space for the boys to ride them at the weekends.

Mrs Woolham said the bikes were kept locked away but with the keys in the ignition.

CCTV shows a car driving away from the area with the motorbikes in the back and a man following behind on the quad bike.

Mrs Woolham said: “My dad rang me at about 3.10pm and said the bikes had gone.

“I’ve got CCTV which shows them going along Colliers Row Road. One bike is hanging out of the back of the car and the quad is driving behind.”

The CCTV showed the car heading toward the Johnson Fold area.

Mrs Woolham said: “I spent two days on the Johnson Fold estate and got one of the bikes back but it is all smashed up.

“The boys got them as Christmas presents. They were learning to ride. They went up every weekend to play with them and just had such a good time. They got their friends up to have a go and had an even better time.”

The bikes that are still missing are a blue quad bike and a small motorbike.

Mrs Woolham is appealing to anyone who may have been offered similar vehicles or knows who took them to contact the police.

A police spokesman confirmed that they were called at 5.20pm on Tuesday to reports of a burglary and enquiries are ongoing.

Anyone with information can contact police on 101 and quote incident number 1655 of June 6.