A nurse fighting coronavirus had the bike she uses to get to work stolen while she popped into Waitrose in Holloway Road after her shift.

Ham & High: The bike was stolen from outside Waitrose in Holloway Road.The bike was stolen from outside Waitrose in Holloway Road. (Image: Archant)

Beata Tkaczyk, who lives in Holloway, was only given the bike last week by a friend so she didn’t have to walk the 45 minute journey every day to get to and from the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead. She is now desperate for it to be returned so she can avoid the walk or using public transport.

Opportunistic thieves cut through a thick bike lock in the 20 minutes she had gone into the store to pick up some groceries.

“I need to take my daughter to school and pick her up so the bike was better for me,” said Beata. “On the way back from work I went to get my daughter and just went into Waitrose to grab some things.

“I locked the bike up but when I came back I couldn’t see it and thought I had parked it somewhere else. But my daughter said: ‘No mummy you parked it here’ and saw the lock on the floor.

“I was so in shock, I couldn’t believe it. I cried on the walk home. It’s so cruel.”

Beata began working at the Royal Free 23 years ago after being impressed with her care after being admitted herself.

“It’s been extremely stressful,” she added. “All of us would just like to go back to normal life, but we have enough PPE and the hospital is looking after us.”

The bike is a white with a black mesh basket on the front. Beata reported the theft to police who are investigating whether there is CCTV of the incident.

Anyone who has seen it can contact police on 101.