Police discover 101 suspected stolen bikes in Manchester home after hunt for just one

Police enquiries into a single missing bike led them to a haul of 101 suspected stolen machines, stacked up in a Manchester home.

The bikes were found in a home in the Copster Hill Area of Oldham on Friday February 15.

British Transport Police (BPT) say that inquiries into the theft of a bike from a railway station in West Yorkshire led them to the home.

The Manchester Evening News reports that officers arrested a man on suspicion of fraud and handling stolen goods.

Police are now using serial numbers to match the bikes to crime numbers and rightful owners.

BTP Greater Manchester tweeted on Sunday, saying: "CID [Criminal Investigation Department - ed]  have been kept busy this weekend after 101 suspected stolen bicycles were seized from an address in Oldham.

"Officers are now making their way through a long list of serial numbers, a male has been arrested and released under investigation as enquiries continue to trace owners."

Two vans were required to make three trips to empty the bikes from the home, where they were reportedly stuffed into bedrooms and stacked up in the garden.

In a statement, BTP said: "Following an investigation by British Transport Police into a report of a bike theft in West Yorkshire, 101 bicycles were seized from a house in Oldham on February 15.

"A 42-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of fraud by false representation and the handling of stolen goods.

"He has been released under investigation while inquiries continue.

"The bikes have all been seized by police, and offers are now working to reunite them with their owners."

>>> Bike theft statistics and how to lock your bike safely

A 2017 data set from the Office for National Statistics says that there were 290,000 recorded bike thefts in England and Wales that year, though Stolen-Bikes.co.uk suggests that 71 per cent of people do not report the theft to the police.