A pair of brazen Edinburgh thieves have been caught on camera allegedly trying to cut through a bike lock in broad daylight on a busy city centre street.
The two youths, dressed in all black, are shown trying to steal a woman's bike on Thursday, February 24, whilst she visited a nearby shop on Leith Walk to get a manicure.
According to locals at the scene, they attempted the crime in broad daylight and in full view of everyone else on Thursday afternoon and the video appears to show the pair using a dangerous power tool to attempt to cut straight through the lock.
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The video appears to show the pair stood on the opposite side of the fence that the bike was chained to and thankfully, the woman's colleague and another passer-by saw what was going on and confronted the youths.
According to one passer-by, the pair were oblivious as ever and despite the presence of two member of the public, the video appears to show one of the perpetrators actually trying to continue cutting through the lock, with sparks flying everywhere.
After several more people came to see what was going on, the video showed the pair sauntered away like nothing had happened.
A picture shared after the attempted theft, from the owner of the bike, Hannah Jonathan, showed just how close the youths came to cutting all the way through the lock.
Shocked at what had happened, she added: "It was pretty outrageous.
"On Thursday afternoon I had locked my bike to the railing on Leith Walk at the opening of Orchardfield. I went in to get a manicure and when I went back to the bike, there were three people there with one of them on the phone to the police.
"I was very lucky they got there when they did."
Police Scotland have been contacted for a comment.
