A TEENAGER had his £500 bike stolen during a knifepoint robbery in Southend.

The 18-year-old handed over his Trek Marlin 7 to two teen thugs after they threatened to stab him and “slash his girlfriend’s face” while the couple walked home in Ennismore Gardens.

The victim’s mum, Sharon Ballard, burst into tears when her son told her what happened.

The 51-year-old, from Southend, said: “My son left to walk his girlfriend home and had planned to bike back here.

“At 8.30pm they were taking a shortcut when two boys biked past them. They stopped and turned back, saying that if my son didn’t hand over his bike they would slash his girlfriend’s face and stab him. One of them pulled out a massive knife which must’ve been about nine or ten inches long, and showed it to them. The other one just reached for his pocket.

“My son’s girlfriend was petrified and started to back away bursting into tears. He gave it over to protect her.”

The mum added: “One of them ditched the bike they were on and took off with my son’s. He’s only had it since December and it cost £500, but I’m just happy neither of them were hurt. They’re both quite shaken up and my son isn’t himself.

“I’m scared to let him out on his bike now, I burst into tears when he got back home.”

A Essex Police spokesman said: “We were called at around 8.50pm on Sunday with reports of a robbery in Ennismore Gardens, Southend.

“We received information from a third party that Two teenagers were approached by two cyclists and threatened with a knife. The suspects, who have been described as being in their late teens, white and wore hoodies, then left the scene with a bike belonging to one of the victims.

Call 101 with information quoting crime reference 42/37579/20.