London ranked as the worst area for bicycle thefts in the UK
CYCLISTS in London are the worst hit by bike thefts in the UK.
According to new figures a total of 104,768 thefts were reported per capita over the last 12 months in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The university cities of Cambridge and Oxford ranked in second and third place respectively.
Despite few people living in the City of London area, the number of reported thefts has increased by the thousands of people cycling to work in the area.
Last year the Met Police alone received 21,945 accounts of bikes being stolen with British Transport Police reporting 6,395 - highlighting how transport hubs are a popular spot for thieves.
Other top cities for bike theft were revealed as Newport, Chichester and Warwick.
Leading cycling insurance provider Yellow Jersey worked alongside British Transport Police to reveal the stats across 351 districts.
And they provided heat maps of bike theft in the UK, to find out if your area is affected.
Emily Conrad-Pickles, head of marketing at Yellow Jersey said: “It’s a sad reality that people are put off cycling due to the levels of theft, in particular at a time where society is trying to encourage greener methods of transport – both for the environment and public health.
“Home insurance is often insufficient cover if your bicycle is stolen outside of the home and cyclists should consider getting specialist cover for their bicycle if they are looking to leave them locked up outside of the home to take away the worry of theft – which will likely also cover them for Public Liability.
“We require all our policy holders to use either Sold Secure Gold or Silver standard rated locks to help reduce their risk of becoming a victim of bike crime in the first place.
“These theft maps will allow people to look at the crime hot spots near to where they live and work and perhaps help them to plan a safer place to leave their bike.”
Meanwhile, the areas with the lowest number of stolen bikes are West Devon, Torridge, in North Devon, and the Forest of Dean.
A supporting study of 2,000 Brits carried out by Yellow Jersey found more than one quarter of the nation have had a bike stolen.
Of those, six in 10 never managed to get their bike back, and one in 10 who did said the bicycle was in an unusable condition.
One quarter had their bike stolen from their own garden while one in 10 found their bike pinched from outside their workplace.
Top 10 areas for bike thefts per person:
1. City of London
2. Cambridge
3. Oxford
4. Newport
5. Chichester
6. Warwick
7. Hackney
8. Hammersmith and Fulham
9. Camden
10. Westminster
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Superintendent Mark Cleland, national lead for cycle crime said cyclists should be aware of where cycle crime is prevalent and us the best rated "secured by design" locks.
He said: “We are currently working with our partners on a number of initiatives that will contribute to reducing cycle crime across the UK.
“Prevention is always better than cure."
Cleland added: “Don’t forget that by registering your bike, if it is lost or stolen, there is a greater chance of it being recovered.”