The phone theft epidemic in London has claimed another victim: an unsuspecting man had his phone stolen in broad daylight in the blink of an eye.

Footage that emerged on social media shows two men walking along Southwark Road, south London enjoying the sunshine as several cyclists pass by.

However, one of the men’s beautiful day is abruptly ended when he becomes the target of a brazen thief.

While the man casually holds his phone in his hand, the crook brushes against his phone during his hasty escape on his bicycle yesterday.

The seemingly shocked and confused victim attempts to give chase while the public watches in disbelief.

A man’s sunny day was abruptly ended yesterday on Southwark Road in London when he fell victim to a brazen thief (picture)

Apparently in shock and confused, the angry victim tries to give chase (picture)

Many were stunned by the clip in which the phone is stolen within a few seconds.

In response, someone on X (formerly Twitter) wrote: “It’s like holding up fish and chips while seagulls fly overhead.”

“How could he take me by surprise,” wrote a second, and a third said: “This is getting out of control now.”

Another joked: “Just stop taking out your phones, mate.”

“Perhaps it is high time to ban cyclists and motorcyclists from riding until further notice,” joked a fourth.

MailOnline has contacted the Metropolitan Police for comment.

This comes shortly after a desperate Londoner described the horrific moment his phone was taken “right out of his hand” and later turned up in a notorious Chinese port.

Sukru Haskan, who was born in Turkey but now lives in London, explained how an e-cyclist snatched his iPhone 14 from his hand on July 30 as he walked along Brompton Street in Knightsbridge towards his home in South Kensington.

He told MailOnline: “He was on one of those electric bikes, wearing thick gloves and just grabbed it (the phone).”

“I’m a fit guy, but I had no intention of running after him because when I looked, he was already so far away.”

Pictured: A street view of Southwark Road in London, where the phone was stolen in broad daylight

London resident Sukru Haskan tracked his stolen iPhone to Huaqiang South Road, a street lined with warehouses and with a jetty at one end

London’s “most notorious phone thief”, Sonny Stringer, 28, from Islington, was sentenced to two years in prison after stealing 24 phones in a single morning

In just over an hour on March 26, Stringer and his accomplice stole around £20,000 worth of mobile phones by sneaking up behind the victims on silent, high-speed motorbikes.

Mr Haskan, 41, who works in finance, described how “helpless” he felt.

He said: “The police came and questioned me, but while they were doing that I could see them moving around London. You lose confidence in our safety.”

“First it went to Hyde Park, then to Finsbury Park. I sent screenshots to the police and then suddenly it was in China.”

Using Apple’s Find My iPhone feature, Mr Haskan located his stolen device in Shenzhen – known as China’s Silicon Valley.

“I saw online that hundreds of thousands of phones ended up in China.”

“I understand that you can’t prevent cell phones from being stolen in a big city. What doesn’t make me happy is that the phone is then simply transported to another country.”

“It has become a big business, a global trade, and nothing is being done. The police closed my case because no suspects could be found, but it is part of an international criminal organization.

“People steal things, I understand that, that’s normal, but thousands of phones end up in China and nobody investigates it.”

MailOnline has contacted the Metropolitan Police for comment.

Just recently, the capital’s “most notorious phone thief” was sentenced to two years in prison after stealing 24 phones in a single morning.

28-year-old Sonny Stringer raced through the capital on an electric motorcycle at speeds of up to 80 km/h, stealing cell phones from unsuspecting citizens.

In just over an hour on March 26, he and his accomplice stole around £20,000 worth of mobile phones by sneaking up behind their victims on silent, high-speed motorbikes.

Eight minutes later, he targeted NHS technician Tyler Myson near South Kensington tube station, who recalled: “I was just walking down the street, texting on my phone, when suddenly someone on an e-bike came from behind and snatched it out of my hand.”

As the phone epidemic continues to rage in London, experts revealed to MailOnline that stolen mobile phones are being shipped in large quantities to southern China, where they are dismantled and reassembled and resold at knock-down prices.

There is an insatiable demand for second-hand mobile phones in the electronics hub of Shenzhen, which are being looted by gangsters targeting busy areas of the UK, including music festivals.

Stacks of cell phones for sale at a market in Shenzhen

Shoppers browse at an electronics market in Shenzhen, where there is a large market for used phones.

Many stolen phones have been traced to Huaqiang South Road in Shenzhen, known as China’s “Silicon Valley.”

After the cell phones are smuggled into the city by criminal accomplices who take advantage of the city’s lax enforcement of theft laws, they are sold second-hand, provided they can be unlocked and reset to factory settings.

If the devices cannot be sold as a whole, they are disassembled and the individual parts – such as the screen, motherboard and speakers – are used for repairs or even assembled into completely new mobile phones.

Shenzhen is located in southern China on the border with Hong Kong. The city is also known as the country’s “Silicon Valley” due to its electronics expertise and is also home to large retail stores for used consumer goods.

Many stolen phones have been traced to Huaqiang South Road, a road lined with warehouses with a jetty at one end. It is believed that one of the warehouses on this road receives stolen phones, which are then dismantled and resold – possibly at the same location.