A NUMBER of high value mountain bikes have been stolen in the Fordingbridge and New Milton areas over the last week.

Hampshire Constabulary says two sheds and a garage were broken into between 11pm on Tuesday November 23 and 7am on Sunday November 28.

Items stolen 

• Forest Oak Drive, New Milton - a Canyon Nerve mountain bike as well as a black and blue Canyon EXDCF worth £1,500 each were taken between 11pm on Tuesday November 23 and 6am on Wednesday November 24 (Crime ref: 44210472477)

• Hobart Road, New Milton – Two bikes, including a black Bombtrack gravel bike worth £3,500 were stolen between 10.30pm on Saturday November 27 and 5.30am on Sunday November 28 (Crime ref: 44210477726)

• Station Road, Fordingbridge – Two bikes including a black carbon fibre bike with Campagnolo gears valued at £2,000 was taken between 11pm on Saturday November 27 and 7am on Sunday November 28 (Crime ref: 44210477748).

A police spokesperson said: "You may know where these bikes have been taken and or have been offered them for sale.

"If you have any information about these incidents or have seen any suspicious people or vehicles, please call 101 quoting the relevant crime reference numbers as above."

Security advice 

• Ensure your bike is locked or anchored to an immovable point, even inside your shed or garage

• Use a D-Lock - anything less won’t do

• If you use Strava or ride tracking apps, make sure your privacy settings are changed so that your start and end point aren’t shared; this is clearly your home address and where you probably store your bike

• Mark your bike by using a property or police approved forensic marking solution only visible under Ultraviolet (UV) light

• Take pictures of the bike, as well as the bike frame number, as this can assist police in stolen property is recovered and reunite you with your prized possessions

• Register your bike free of charge using one of the accredited property databases such as https://www.immobilise.com/

• You know your community and will notice anything out of the ordinary, such as someone tampering with a lock on a neighbour’s shed - please report this to us

For further crime prevention advice visit the Hampshire Constabulary website.

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