What has ten legs, four wheels, zips through Brighton traffic and can park almost anywhere?

The answer is Ben Sherratt, taking his two dogs for a ride on a specially-designed bike.

Ben and his pets Fluke and Poppy are becoming a familiar sight to many on his Brox velocipede, which he often rides from his home in East Brighton to his bicycle hire service Lifecycle in Preston Park.

The contraption has a seat for the rider plus a crate at the rear to accommodate the two black retrievers.

But the trio were stranded on Tuesday after thieves made off with the cycle.

Fortunately, the vehicle is so unusual that one of Ben's friends spotted it the following morning chained behind shops in London Road, Brighton.

Ben, 33, of Rugby Place, said: "It's unique and is quite a spectacle around Brighton.

"They are commercially available and used in London but this is the only one in Brighton and Hove.

"It was taken from outside our shop and someone later saw it being ridden by two kids in London Road. Luckily a friend gave us a lift home but it was very inconvenient.

"I spent four or five hours looking for it but a colleague found it."

Lifecycle has been running for two years and has suffered thefts before.

The Brox, which is made by a Manchester firm and exported across the world, is a popular talking point with customers.

Ben said: "It's a bit slower than a normal bike because it weighs about 70kg, which is almost my body weight. When you have the dogs and shopping on board it weighs almost a quarter of a tonne.

"But I have gone past a few commuters, which makes them sick with envy.

"It's about the length of a Smart car so I can also park in small spaces. Traffic wardens laugh when I pull up. I take it on cycle lanes and I haven't been stopped so I guess that's okay."