THE Sussex Police helicopter joined officers and police dogs on the ground in the hunt for a stolen motorbike yesterday.

The alarm was raised at 4pm when a suspected thief was seen riding across open ground near Hangleton, Hove.

The helicopter crew, using a thermal imager, found the bike hidden in bushes, but there was no sign of the rider.

Police inquiries were continuing today.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.