Clacton: Lock up your bikes, warn police (From Clacton and Frinton Gazette)

Clacton: Lock up your bikes, warn police

2:06pm Friday 29th August 2008

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A young boy's new bike has been stolen from his back garden, in the fifth such incident to hit his family.

Twelve-year-old Lewis Straighton's £90 BMX was taken while he was on holiday in Spain with his mother Esther Adams and sister Katie, 10.

His granddad, Cyril Adams, who had been taking care of the family home in Ruaton Drive, Clacton, says the bike was taken sometime on Wednesday night.

“I always make sure everything is locked up when I leave,” said Mr Adams, 71, of Coppins Road.

“When I went to the house the next morning I noticed the gate was open so I knew someone had been in.

“They'd gone round the back to the garden and stolen the bike – I hadn't been able to find the lock to secure it the night before.”

Mr Adams explained that Lewis had only had the BMX since July, with his previous bike smashed to bits by yobs a few months before.

“Between him and his sister they've had five bikes stolen over the last few years, always from the house,” he said.

“It wasn’t a nice surprise for him when he came back from holiday at the weekend.”

The theft of Lewis’ bike comes days after 14-year-old Brydn Webb’s was stolen from outside his house in Herbert Road, Clacton, as reported last week.

Police say bike theft it is a common crime, with 31 incidents in the Clacton area reported to police during the month of August.

As a result, Essex Police will now be holding monthly bike coding sessions in Clacton's Pier Avenue to help owners like Lewis and Brydn guard against theft.

PCSOs will be outside Marks and Spencers every second Tuesday of the month from 1pm to 2pm to security code the bikes and offer theft prevention advice.

A spokesperson for the police also stressed the importance of locking unattended bikes.

She said: “An unlocked bike is very attractive to thieves and it takes only seconds to steal.

“We would like to encourage cyclists to come along to the security coding at the mobile police station so that if their bike is stolen, it can be rightfully returned to them if it is recovered."

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