Two thieves in balaclavas try to steal motorbike from Asda car park

This was the moment two balaclava-clad bike thieves were chased away from their attempts to steal a high-powered motorbike from a supermarket car park in South Bristol.

A video filmed this afternoon, Sunday, May 12, by Bristol Live showed one getaway rider on standby with a moped, alongside a young man in shorts attempting to smash off the lock from the rear wheel of a motorbike.

The attempt appeared to trigger an alarm, drawing attention to the pair’s efforts just yards from the entrance to the Asda store in Bedminster.

Read next: Key Bristol bridge to close on Monday - for 18 months

Read more: 'Heroin & Crack Zone' posters pop up across Bristol

The two would-be thieves were clocked by store security and other shoppers just after 3.30pm on Sunday, and with passers-by beginning to shout and chase them off, the rider leapt on his moped, called to his mate to abandon the attempt.

He followed onto the back of the moped and the pair sped off just as, off camera, a member of staff was approaching.

“It’s not the sort of thing you expect to see on a Sunday afternoon - they were pretty brazen. It was broad daylight and the car park was really busy with people - loads of people were just watching,” said one onlooker.

Bike crime in Bristol is a huge problem, particularly the theft of larger motorbikes by youngsters on mopeds.

Earlier this year, a group of young offenders were convicted after a high profile attempt to steal a bike near the Clifton Triangle. Video of the theft, which saw passers-by try to stop the pair, went viral after it was filmed on a resident’s phone.