A MOUNTAIN bike worth more than £2,000 has been stolen from a flat during a burglary.

Thieves also took cash as they raided the address in St Andrew's Square, Hastings, last Friday.

Sussex Police have now launched a public appeal urging anyone who has seen the bike since it was stolen to come forward.

The cycle was swiped from a secure entry area before the culprits entered the flat itself, taking several hundred pounds in cash.

The bike is unique, police say, having been built by the owner over time.

It is metallic blue with a large frame, front suspension, 29in wheels, white front forks and a large battery pack in the centre of the frame.

Combined, these parts are valued at about £2,000.

A man was seen riding the distinctive bike near the One Stop shop in Ore Valley Road, Hastings, at about 6.15pm on the evening of the day it was taken.

Detective Constable Nick Arthur said: "If you were in the St Andrew's Square area that Friday morning, or in Ore Valley Road that evening, and saw the cycle being taken or ridden, please contact us either online or by calling 101, quoting serial 498 of 16/04."