A police officer's widow has donated £2,000 to buy a police surveillance mountain bike in memory of her husband.

The bike, which has a blue light, a siren and comes with a helmet with a built-in video camera, has been fitted with a plaque engraved: "In Memory of Len Winter".

His widow, Patricia, of Bath Road, Worthing, read in The Argus about four advanced bikes which have gone on patrol in Crawley and Horsham and decided to pay for one of them.

Mrs Winter said: "Len always said a very good way of patrolling was on bicycle. He said it was the silent approach and the best way to catch villains.

"He would have been very impressed and delighted with the modern version. I'm sure it has the best of both worlds - a bike for modern times and modern circumstances."

Mr Winter, who died in 1999 aged 101, served in the West Riding Constabulary in Yorkshire.

He was a detective inspector at Harrogate. The couple came to live in Worthing in 1966.

The bike with the inscription to her husband was shown to Mrs Winter on a visit to Crawley police station.

Superintendent Jim Dale, commander of Forest division, which covers Crawley and Horsham said: "This is an incredibly generous gesture and I think it is a fitting tribute to Mr Winter."