Police teams in Exeter have reported a staggering £95,000 worth of stolen cycles in a 7-month period.
The startling figures are mainly due to bikes being fitted with inadequate locks.
Serious bike owners will typically spend over £500 on a new bike, but use a cheap lock.
Of the 240 offences reported this year, 36 were stripped of parts and 204 stolen outright.
Fifty-six of these were left either outside a residential property or shop, or left unattended in a communal area.
When bikes are kept in one piece, the serial number is usually filed off and the frame re-sprayed.
Exeter police are reminding people that it is an offence to purchase a stolen bike or parts.
The most common time for a bike offence is overnight ,and most are taken from rear gardens, sheds or garages.
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