Over £40K Worth Of Bikes Stolen In Beverley

Almost £43,000 worth of specialised bikes and accessories have been stolen in Beverley since November 2012.

A recent victim has spoken of his ordeal after nearly £10,000 worth of specialised custom made bikes were taken from his garage whilst he was asleep in bed.

As James Harper (34) from Leven was asleep inside his semi-detached house in a quiet residential area of Leven, it is alleged someone has approached a shed containing a number of high value bikes. The offender is believed to have used an instrument to gain entry into the shed.

Once inside a tidy search was conducted, leaving expensive golf clubs and tools, specifically taking four mountain bikes worth nearly £10,000.

James Harper, recounts the first moments when he realised he had been burgled: “On the night of the 22nd of January our shed was broken into and three expensive custom mountain bikes and one road bike where stolen. The criminals seemed to have good knowledge that firstly I had the bikes, where the bikes were and made every effort to leave the crime scene as if it was untouched.

“The bikes that have been stolen are all of significant value. All of the bikes have been built up from scratch over many years and along with the financial value they hold great sentimental value.

“Those first moments when you see the space where your bikes should be and the realisation that someone has been on your property and taken what is yours is just sickening. Bikes have always been part of my life, for as long as I can remember; every birthday and Christmas gift has been somehow bike related. The bikes that have been stolen were built up over many years with lots of time, effort and money going into building up my collection. Although just pieces of metal my bikes mean far more then that, they are memories, adventures and time spent with friends – the people who took my bikes won’t understand this.

“One Bike in particular I purchased 17 years ago (pace RC200) this bike symbolises so much, from working part time for a whole year to save up for just the frame to the many memories, adventures and charity rides I did on that bike. Because of its age and the many modifications that had been done the bike is irreplaceable.

“I sincerely hope that something can be done to stem this current spree of cycle crime in our area to help with this and to aid the recovery of my bikes I am offering a substantial reward for the safe return/information that leads to the return of my bikes”

PCSO Sarah Freer from Beverley Police Station said:

” High value bicycles can be stripped to their component parts and sold on individually making identification extremely difficult. I would advise all owners of bicycles to review the security of where they are stored and if necessary consider fitting an alarm and additional locks to prevent easy access to a burglar.

“Some of these bicycles represent several thousand pounds worth of investment and in some cases are of similar value to a family car. Owners should ensure that they are fully protected under their home insurance and take photographs to assist the police if the bicycle is stolen.”