A cyclist who travelled 335,500 miles on the same bike had it stolen within hours of arriving in the UK.

Heinz Stucke had reached Portsmouth, Hampshire, on his continuous voyage - which began in 1962 - when his bicycle was stolen as he slept in his tent.

"I would do anything to get my bike back - I'm emotionally attached to it," he told the Portsmouth News.

Mr Stucke, from Germany - who was registered as the most travelled man in history in the Guinness Book of Records between 1995 and 1999 - put up his tent in Island View Terrace after getting off a ferry at the nearby port.

At around 3am on Monday, he went to check on his bike and discovered it was missing. The bicycle is black with two sets of handlebars, and is covered in stickers from around the world.

PC Paul Jones of Hampshire police, who received the report of the theft, has taken pity on 66-year-old Mr Stucke and arranged for a replacement bike to be donated to him from the force's lost property.

"I just felt sorry for Mr Stucke and wanted to help him as much as I could," he said. "I think someone just saw his bike and thought it would be fun to take it."