THERE’S nothing worse than spending thousands on a new bike for someone to come along and snatch it away.

In fact, cycles don’t have to cost that much for their owners to develop an emotional attachment to them.

So it makes sense to make sure your pride and joy is safe and secure.

However, it’s a fact that a lot of people take such matters very lightly.

Storing your bike in a locked shed or garage only goes so far to ensuring they are still there in the morning.

Alarms and lighting are a good idea, but what if the culprits still manage to get away? The odds on getting your bike back then could be slim.

With that in mind, Durham Police offer free cycle security measures for enthusiasts and casual riders alike.

Running for a number of years now, Operation Spoke, aims to put the brakes on cycle theft and increase the chances of reuniting bikes with their owners.

Led by Durham Constabulary, in partnership with Durham County Council and Darlington Borough Council, Local Motion, Safe Durham Partnership and all the Cycle Retailers in County Durham and Darlington, it offers a marking and registering scheme throughout the county.

Faye Callan, Police Community Liaison Officer for the South of Durham, is involved with the scheme.

“Operation Spoke helps prevent cycles from being stolen by marking them up,” she said. “It is free and if bikes do get stolen we can trace them back to the owner.”

The marking is state of the art, leaving a special code on the frame of the bike that is impossible to see with the naked eye and incredibly hard-wearing. After a simple form has been filled in with name, address, contact number and details of the bike, the rider is good to go.

Said Faye: “We have a stencil that has a unique reference number that is allocated to a person’s bike.

“There is also a special resin which contains micro-dots which can be applied all over the bike and on things such as helmets. If we are able to recover the bike that unique number comes up after it has been registered online.

“It is very hi-tech. They initially applied it to a boat, sent it out and when it came back it had not moved, showing how strong it is.”

Applying the serial number takes a matter of minutes and if the bike is sold on legitimately a quick call to police will see the details updated and the new owner registered.

“It is really important for people to take up this offer. It is free, which is great. The kits are worth £20 and we will mark bikes up for people, taking away any of the hassle. It doesn’t matter what the worth of your bike is, whether it’s £20 or £2,000 – we will do it.

“People do have their bikes stolen, especially over Christmas time, so it’s really important to get them marked up. We go to events, visit schools and if people want us in particular places we can try our best to get there.”

l For more details on Operation Spoke visit www.durham.police.uk/Information-and-advice/Cycle-Security-Operation-SPOKE