CCTV has captured the bizarre moment a thief creeps across a city driveway to steal a fence post from an unsuspecting homeowner.

The man was caught operating under the cover of darkness just before midnight on May 7.

The footage shows the man on a push bike cycling past the house in Motum Road, before stopping to prop up his bike.

Having dismounted, he carefully picks his way across the pebbled driveway and clambers away with a heavy concrete post in his arms.

He then puts it on the bike and speeds off.

Shivangi Mehra, 38, is alarmed and annoyed by the unusual theft, she said: "I was putting my bin away the next day and I noticed something was missing.

"When I realised it was my fence post I went looking everywhere for it, wondering where it could have gone. Then I checked my CCTV.

"I couldn't believe what I saw - the worst thing was I had the curtains closed and was watching television when it happened.

"Because of the time I had dozed off down there, so I didn't hear what was happening just outside."

%image(15607847, type="article-full", alt="The man was caught on Shivangi Mehra's CCTV camera just before midnight taking the fence post.")

Shivangi, who has not yet reported the incident to police, added: "It's pathetic that someone would just come and take something from someone else's property.

"This has happened multiple times in the year I've lived in this area but never anything like this.

%image(15607848, type="article-full", alt="Shivangi Mehra, who lives in Motum Road, said: "It really upset me - what kind of world we live in that someone can stoop that low."")

"The post will cost between £60 to £70 to replace - I know it's not extremely expensive but it's not cheap either - especially with the cost of living rising.

"I just wonder why someone would brazenly take something that's not theirs."

And the incident has left Shivangi worried for her and her families' safety.

She said: "If people are brazen enough to steal something from your driveway it makes me wonder how far they might go.

%image(15607849, type="article-full", alt="Shivangi Mehra, who lives in Motum Road, said: "It's pathetic that someone would just come and take something from someone else's property."")

"It's made me really upset to think of what kind of world we live in that someone can stoop that low.

"And what sort of world are we bringing up our kids in?

"I just want to make people aware in case they leave their kids' bikes or even more valuable items outside."