Bristol thieves steal double-decker bus

A classic double-decker bus used for events around the country has been stolen from a Bristol yard.

The AEC Leyland Routemaster was taken from a locked yard belonging to Bristol Film and Television Services.

It had been used by Radio One DJ Chris Moyles for an event in 2005, decked out to promote Alton Towers attractions and hired by the Chicago Rock Cafe.

Owner Stuart Reed had more big plans for the bus, which he was keeping at the lock-up off Feeder Road, St Phillips, behind Western Power Distribution.

It was awaiting an MOT so it could be taken to Brighton – where Mr Reed now lives – and relaunched in the new year with the help of marketing company Fatmog and the bus's former owner John Mason.

Stuart, 28, who lived in Nover's Hill, Knowle, until last week, said: "I'm absolutely gutted. We had big plans for the future. It's become quite a famous bus and has been used all over the country.

"I went to the yard last Wednesday to do some work on it – it needs an MOT – but it was blocked in by some other vehicles. When I went back on Thursday I was told it had been stolen."

The bus went missing some time between 2pm last Wednesday and 11am last Thursday. The registration is 799 UXA and the bus ID is RM1305.

Mr Reed says he tried three times at Trinity Road police station and twice by phone, between Thursday and Saturday, to get Avon and Somerset police to investigate it as a theft. But there were initially issues over who owned the bus.

Mr Reed said: "I'm very disappointed because the police also informed me that if the bus is found, I'm going to be liable for the recovery costs. I've been told most of the time insurance will cover it but as it didn't have an MOT, it wasn't insured."

Avon and Somerset police spokeswoman Cath Foster said: "Police do not have the facilities to store stolen vehicles. We therefore use our contractor – Hintons – to recover and store them safely until they are collected. In nearly all cases, the cost of recovery and storage after a theft can be claimed back through the driver's insurance."

Anyone with information on the crime should call the stolen vehicle team on 0845 4567000, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.