scrap collectors theft

[notarobot1]

Having had four bikes stolen over the last two years ( two sold via Gumtree-thanks for your total lack of support Guntree when I contacted you!) I am really aware of the big business that this has become. There is a scrap collectors whom appear to be a "normal "scrap company whom park their open backed transit vans near my flat each night. There are often two or three perfect looking bikes often more of all types in the back of each van every day( they have 16 vans!) . Some bikes appear totally new , I cannot believe that so many people are throwing away new expensive bikes each day.The last thing I want is these guys coming around to sort me out ( there are a lot of them ) but do you think I should notify the police? or have I just become paranoid?

[Si]

As the guilt of the company concerned has not been verified I have taken the liberty of removing their name from the above post for legal reasons. If you do contact the police and the company is found to be guilty, please let us know.

[meic]

You can notify the Police anonymously or drop a word into the ear of a neighbourhood PCSO as i think that is what Community Policing is all about.

[TrailRat]

I do know in my friends area, the local council have a contract with the local scrap yard for removing bikes from railings. They go round at the same time every night and slice through locks with a petrol grinder.

Doesn't matter if you've been there 10 minutes or ten hours, doesn't matter if you're bike is a rust bucket or if it's fresh of the production line, they are charged with removing it!

Could be what's going on there!

[spanner]

I do know in my friends area, the local council have a contract with the local scrap yard for removing bikes from railings. They go round at the same time every night and slice through locks with a petrol grinder.

Doesn't matter if you've been there 10 minutes or ten hours, doesn't matter if you're bike is a rust bucket or if it's fresh of the production line, they are charged with removing it!

Could be what's going on there!

thats a bit rich that cycle owners lock their bike to prevent it being stolen when at the same time the council are paying a local scrap dealer to go round cutting through bikes locked to railings with a petrol grinder so does the local council not allow cyclists to lock up their bikes and is it a local bylaw that bikes cant be locked to railings if it isnt the council are in effect stealing bicycles yet owners cant do anything about it also what would happen if an owner returned while the lock was being cut as once the bike goes into the back of the scrap lorry it belongs to the council
i wouldnt like to lock my 1957 flying scot which is worth £600 in your town then find that some pratt on contract to the local council has cut the lock and thrown it in the back of a scrap lorry would i under law be able to recover the value of the bike from the local council or have my bike returned on the basis that i locked it up to prevent theft also if there are no notices displayed clearly stating bicycles locked to these railings will be removed then the local council has no legal reason to remove those bikes

[peter99]

And pause for breath