HOUSEHOLDERS and cyclists are being urged to ensure their equipment is securely locked away following a spate of thefts in Darlington.

On Monday evening this week police recovered eight pedal cycles – all believed to be stolen – from an address in the town and a man in his 40’s was arrested.

The recovered cycles are believed to have been stolen from address the Darlington and South Durham area.

Inspector Chris Knox, neighbourhood inspector for Darlington police“In Darlington we have seen a significant increase in burglaries where pedal cycles have been stolen. The main areas for these offences are High Grange, West Park, Cockerton and the West End of Darlington.

“The offences are committed by people entering garages, some of which were not locked and taking mainly insecure pedal cycles from within. We are asking residents to ensure their garages are secure at all times and, where possible, park their cars up against the garage door to prevent access.

“We’d also urge bicycle owners to take steps to protect their pedal cycles being stolen, such as securing them to the base of their garages or using locks to lock them to permanent structures within the garage.

“Owners can play their part be remaining vigilant and reporting any suspicious activity, and also by getting their bikes security marked to enable the police to identify their bikes if they are stolen in the future.”

The man arrested on suspicion of stealing the cycles is on police bail while investigations continue.

Anyone believes one of the recovered bikes belongs to them should call 101.