This is moment a group of Londoners came together to confront a pair of hammer-wielding moped thieves as they brazenly tried to steal a bike in broad daylight.

Dramatic footage shows the moment the strangers were united in their attempt to stop two thieves from stealing an expensive vehicle outside an office block in east London before brave onlookers try to tackle them to the ground.

One of the helmet-clad men appears to threaten people with a hammer as they walk past the thugs in Back Church Lane, Whitechapel.

Video taken yesterday at 2pm outside Loom House, shows a member of the public clambering out a car and challenging the men, yelling: 'I've got you, you bloody thief.'

Despite the commotion, the thieves are unfazed as they continue to try and steal the bike, with one using an angle-grinder to free the vehicle while another waves his hammer at passersby.

Another clip taken by a shocked driver via his wing mirror, shows the moment a group of young office workers take on the men.

One have-a-go-hero leaps at the two thieves as they give up and try to flee, throwing his arms around them in a bid to bring them to the floor.

Another worker lashes out at the men before he is sent toppling to the ground by the bikers and a small crowd give chase.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: 'Two suspects on a moped were observed trying to cut the lock on the motorcycle using an angle grinder.

Dramatic footage shows the moment strangers united to try to stop two thieves from stealing a bike outside an office in east London before brave onlookers try to tackle them to the ground

The incident is the latest in a string of moped-enabled crimes in the capital, which figures show have rocketed to the level of one per hour

'The victim and another witness confronted the suspects, who threatened them with a hammer and subsequently made off.

'There have been no arrests and enquiries continue.'

The incident is the latest in a string of moped-enabled crimes in the capital, which figures show have rocketed to the level of one per hour.

Campaigners called for the Met to be given greater powers to tackle the problem after new data showed there has been a seven-fold increase in the crime in the last year.

In April, a gang of moped thieves attacked a rider with a fire extinguisher and knocked him to the ground in an attempt to steal his bike in Ilford.

One of the helmet-clad men appears to threaten people with a hammer as they walk past the thugs in Back Church Lane, Whitechapel. Video taken yesterday at 2pm outside Loom House, shows a member of the public clambering out a car and challenging the men

This is the latest in a series of moped-related crimes in London as alarming figures show there is one of these types of crimes per hour.

In April, a gang of moped thieves attacked a rider with a fire extinguisher and knocked him to the ground in an attempt to steal his bike in Ilford.

Terrifying footage, captured on the victim's helmet-mounted camera, showed the failed daylight attack unfold.

In another incident, four thieves, armed with crowbars and a hammer, were also pictured targeting terrified pedestrians as they carried out at least one phone theft in the West End.

Police have drawn up a list of about 200 individuals who they suspect of the majority of moped-related crimes, but they are hard to prosecute because of the difficulty in securing evidence.

Many are not pursued because of fears for their safety and that of other road users and it is difficult to identify them when they are covering their faces.