MORE than 30 bikes have been stolen from Warrington town centre in the past three months.

Cheshire Police have released this alarming figure as a warning to cyclists about the importance of locking your bike with a sturdy device.

The majority of bikes that were reported as stolen had been secured using a bike lock but opportunistic thieves had been able to easily break these and flee the scene within minutes.

The Warrington Guardian was invited out on patrol with PC Graham Davies on Tuesday afternoon to highlight how many cyclists were failing to properly secure their bikes with a trusted locking device.

He was able to quickly point out how six out of the 10 bicycles secured to the railings outside of Warrington Bus Station could be stolen within seconds.

This was due to the standard of lock that had been used – thieves could have snapped these devices within seconds using pliers or bolt cutters.

PC Davies said: “Many people spend thousands of pounds of their hard-earned cash on a top-of-the-range bike and then only spend a couple of pounds on a lock to protect it which doesn’t make any sense.

“We always advise cyclists to buy D-locks as these have been tested and proven to be the most secure and biggest deterrent to criminals.

“As well as investing in a sturdy lock, we also urge riders to always leave their bikes in well-lit and busy places.”

Hotspot areas for bike theft includes Warrington Bus Station and the Cockhedge Centre.

Across the town, bike theft has been on the rise. In 2015 police received 571 reports of stolen bicycles in Warrington.

In 2016, this figures increased to 596 while in 2017 there were 632 stolen bikes reported to officers in the town.

PC Davies also urged cyclists to sign up to Operation Shield which helps to reunite stolen property with its rightful owners as well as connect criminals with crimes they have committed.

Operation Shield works by using a unique DNA liquid which contains an individual code to mark property

He said: “These bikes will never get returned to their rightful owners, they will either be auctioned or donated to charity.

“Just five minutes of marking and recording could see the cycle returned to you following its retrieval.”