London coronavirus doctor pleads for return of stolen bike

Laura Pujol said the Boardman bike was stolen overnight

An intensive care doctor dealing with the coronavirus outbreak in London has pleaded to have her stolen bike returned.

Laura Pujol and her husband Francesc Torres, 34, are both doctors and cycle to their separate hospitals to work.

Dr Pujol discovered on Tuesday morning the bike had been stolen overnight.

She said she and her husband had been working 12 or 13-hour days as the NHS copes with the number of people needing hospital care for coronavirus.

She said she had reported the theft to the Met Police.

The couple have a 21-month-old daughter who is still able to go to nursery as Dr Pujol and Dr Torres are key workers.

'Such a pity'

But Dr Pujol needs the bike to drop off her daughter and then get to work.

"I am lucky that I can still walk to work, but it means that I cannot drop my daughter off at nursery - and we are really lucky that the nursery is staying open for key workers."

Public transport in London has been hugely restricted as the capital tries to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Dr Pujol said she felt like shouting when she saw pictures of people crowding on to Tube trains, because of the risk to their health.

"Going to work by bike is really the only time during the day that we get some fresh air and even time to have our thoughts to ourselves.

"So when we realised that our bike was not there it is just such a pity in this situation right now," she said.

"I just wonder what the person [who took the bike] is going to do with it?"

Dozens of London Underground stations have been closed to stop the spread of coronavirus

• A SIMPLE GUIDE: What are the symptoms?

• AVOIDING CONTACT: Should I self-isolate?

• STRESS: How to protect your mental health

• LOOK-UP TOOL: Check cases in your area

• MAPS AND CHARTS: Visual guide to the outbreak