Mum says city has '˜epidemic' of bike theft

The 35-year-old was left ‘devastated’ when her sons found their bicycles had been stolen from their balcony.

She said: ‘My sons worked so hard to buy their bikes and they use them to deliver newspapers for the local area.

‘I’m devastated that someone could just take them and we had them well locked up so they must have used bolt cutters.’

Kerry’s son Jack Rogers said: ‘We’re absolutely gutted someone has taken the bikes.’

The 16-year-old added: ‘Now someone has got some nice bikes just by stealing ours, which is just wrong.’

The family has spent the past week searching the neighbourhood for the bikes.

Kerry said: ‘While out looking for our own bikes, we found so many others that had been dumped.

‘It is like a bike theft epidemic has taken over the city.’

The cost of the three Carrera bikes amounts to over £1,000.

Kerry said: ‘We can’t afford to replace the bikes especially with Christmas coming up.

‘I have signed up to stolen bike websites, which notifies when a bike is up for sale in your area.

‘We are appealing if anyone sees them or is approached to buy them.’

Police are investigating the theft and a spokesman said: ‘We’re investigating reports of three bicycles being stolen from a balcony at an address 
on Hawthorn Crescent, Portsmouth.

‘The bicycles were taken some time between midnight and 7.30am on Monday, October 23.’

Anyone who witnessed the incident, has any information, or has been offered sale of 
Carrera bikes in suspicious circumstances, is asked to contact police on 101 quoting 44170411383.