A dad is pleading for the return of a treasured family heirloom, in the form of an iconic child’s bicycle, after it was stolen from a lock-up garage.

The distinctive Raleigh Grifter, which was given to dad Ross Hutchinson as a birthday present 40 years ago, was snatched over the Christmas period.

Ross has fond childhood memories of the bike and when he found it rusting away in a dusty barn at his parents’ holiday home in France five years ago, decided to bring it back and restore it for his young son.

He said back in the late 70s and early 80s, the Grifter was the “must-have” mode of transport for children and he recalled the excitement when his dad surprised him with a second-hand model for his seventh birthday.

He learnt to ride on it around the streets and country lanes across Medway and when he outgrew it, passed it on to his younger brother Ryde who tragically died in a car accident when he was 18.

The family took it to their cottage in Normandy where it has remained for more than 20 years until Ross, best-known for restoring the iconic Ghostbuster hearse Cadillac and getting it back on the road after two decades, decided to give it a makeover.

He said:” It’s of huge sentimental value and little worth to whoever took it.

“It is a big part of my family.”

His daughter’s mountain bike was also stolen in the break-in at the garage in Hempstead.

Ross added: “The Grifter and I were pretty much inseparable and it carried me on my childhood adventures around Medway.

“I once got stuck in the mud at Sharpes Green and lost my shoe trying to pull it out. But I didn’t care about that.”

The bike, manufactured by the Raleigh Bicycle Company between 1976 and 1983, was the predecessor to the BMX.

Ross joked: “While it was popular then, it wouldn’t be appealing to young cyclists today who would find it too heavy.”

“It’s still rideable, but not trendy. It would be a bit like borrowing your dad’s flared trousers.”

Ross and his brother enjoyed many years doing up old classic and vintage cars spending much of their spare cash on their shared hobby.

It took him 20 years to restore the Ghostbuster car which he now displays at shows and exhibitions around the country.

He said: “After Ryde died, the bike was put away in a barn, where it stayed collecting dust and rust.

“And then I had my own children and thought it woud be fun to restore it and pass it on as something of a family heirloom.

“I guess the original plan was to eventually take it back to France so the children could enjoy it there.

“However, it had started to make the odd appearance at summer car shows where it always drew praise and compliments from people who also remembered growing up owning one.”