A 17-year-old is having to walk more than two hours to the train station every day after CCTV cameras failed to capture the theft of his bicycle.

The parents of Leonardo Gallo are appealing for information and offering a £50 reward after the bike was taken from St Albans Abbey train station on September 22.

Leonardo used to cycle to the station from his home in Highfield Park, St Albans, in order to get a train to West Herts College in Watford.

He now has to walk about an hour each way to get to the station after police failed to catch the culprit - a search made more difficult through the lack of CCTV footage.

It has emerged that despite various CCTV signs around the station, the bike shelter is not fully covered by the cameras and any other CCTV footage from the station is of poor quality.

Leonardo’s father Giovanni said: “Just upsetting as there was no CCTV and those parking their bikes at the station are really doing so under false pretences.”

He went on: “For the sake of someone stealing my son’s bike to make a quick buck, they are inconveniencing someone’s transportation. He is absolutely gutted. We have checked all the usual places where it could be sold with no luck.”

A spokesman for London Midland, the franchise owners, said that the train provider could not accept responsibility for any stolen goods.

He added: “As indicated by local signage, CCTV is in operation at the station and was working at the time of the incident; reviewing the footage and identification of any suspect(s) is a matter for the police investigation.

“CCTV at St Albans Abbey will, however, be subject to a future upgrade as it does not currently provide the highest quality images covering all areas of the station footprint.”

If you have any information about the bike theft, contact police on the non-emergency number 101.