A CYCLIST had his £600 bike stolen from a secure store and discovered five more people had been victims of bike theft that week.

Lee Oldroyd is one of 227 victims of bike theft in Bournemouth during April and May – a rise of 31 per cent on last year.

Lee, who works in sales, said he was now worried “bikes are not safe anywhere” and was debating whether to buy a replacement.

The 27-year-old from Poole said his bike was locked up with a chain in a secure room at his workplace on Holden-hurst Road in Bourne-mouth but a thief still managed to take it.

Lee said: “It was worth about £600 and I used it to get to and from work – it was lovely on the beach on a sunny day.”

He spoke to colleagues and friends and heard of five more cases of bike theft that week, including two from Charminster.

Lee said: “Everyone I spoke to said ‘I’ve had a bike nicked from Bournemouth’ or they knew someone that had.

“The police said there’s not much they can do. I just feel like if it wasn’t safe there, is it safe anywhere?”

Police statistics also show there were 125 bike thefts in Bourne-mouth during May, compared to 99 last May.

Acting Inspector Christopher Amey from Boscombe station said in a statement: “We continue to offer crime prevention advice and bicycle security information.

“While we have achieved some success in individual cases, we recognise how impactive bicycle theft and other accumulative crimes are on victims. “It is fair to say that such incidents may be influenced by the current economic climate.” He said people should get their bikes security stamped and photographed and crimes should be reported as soon as possible.

He also urged people not to buy undervalued bikes online.

And he urged people with information to call police on 101.