THIEVES have stolen up to £50,000 of top-of-the-range mountain bikes from sheds and garages in what police believe are targeted raids.

Police have warned homeowners to take extra precautions to secure their bikes after a spate of break-ins in recent months and believe thieves are stealing a particular type of bike to sell on.

Keen mountain biker Will Pykett, of Link Top, was left gobsmacked and depressed after his bikes were stolen last month.

He had two Specialized full suspension mountain bikes worth £4,500-5,500 taken from his garage overnight about a month ago.

He said: “I was surprised they got in because I have got a very heavy, secure lock around the bike, through the frame, wheels and a work bench that would never be moved in a million years.

“It’s a terrible feeling, knowing someone has encroached on your property and taken your valuables.” One of the bikes belonged to Mr Pykett’s 19-year-old son John.

“He was absolutely in tears – it was his pride and joy. His grandma had helped fund the bike,” Mr Pykett said.

Mr Pykett, who has been cycling on the Malvern Hills for 12 years and regularly joins a group of about 12 for social rides, has had the bikes replaced through his insurance.

However, he carried out his own investigative work by searching for the bikes on eBay, finding his frame for sale in Worcestershire and having his son’s bike retrieved by the police from an address in Northampton.

He says other friends have had their bikes stolen in recent months, so he is keen to help the police trace the thieves.

PC Karl Lacey, of West Mercia Police, said there had been 22 incidents of theft since last September, involving 30 bikes, with an estimated value of between £45,000 and £50,000.

On one night in March, thieves stole five bikes worth a total of £16,000 from Hornyold Road, Malvern.

The bikes are high-end value mountain bikes, including brands such as Specialized, Yeti, Cube and GT.

In one break-in in Camer’s Green, the thieves only took the most expensive of six bikes from a garage. The break-ins are happening between 9pm and 2am.

Bikes targeted range in price from about £2,000, to £4,000, and PC Lacey advised owners to make a note of the serial number and take photographs so police could trace them more easily.

He said: “I would suggest it’s an organised group. They appear to be targeting the houses with those items.

“They are targeting specific premises with specialised, expensive bikes. I would suggest they are selling them on.

“My message is for the public to secure their bikes better and their garages and sheds.

“We are doing our best to investigate and detect and recover but we can’t promise anything.”

Anyone with information about the thefts is urged to ring West Mercia Police on the non-emergency number 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.