A masked thief made off with a bicycle from a Midlothian community club on Sunday evening as police investigate.
Easthouses Miners Club reported the incident just after 10pm, with the criminal caught on CCTV - though his face isn’t visible. The club, along with the police, are asking anyone with information to come forward.
The video captured outside the club shows the thief as he approaches the bike wearing a dark green puffer jacket, black jogging trousers and white trainers. He uses a pair of bolt cutters to free the bike from its chain and pedals away.
READ MORE - The Edinburgh areas you are most likely to have your bike stolen
A representative from the Miners Club told us: “The bike was stolen from the club just after 10pm, the guy just turned up with bolt cutters and then off he went. We’re looking for help identifying the gent who helped himself to the bike. Any information please get in touch with the club, or the police.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We received a report of the theft of a bike from a premises on Easthouses Road, Easthouses, Dalkeith, around 10.50pm on Sunday, August 21. Enquiries are at an early stage and ongoing.”
A study from BikeRegister, the national cycle database, said Edinburgh is the second most targeted city in the UK for bike theft - with only London seeing a higher figure. Statistics revealed earlier this year said 2021 saw 1117 bike theft incidents reported to police.
The greatest number of reported bike thefts happened in Leith (EH6) - which saw 147 thefts within the year, followed by Southside, Newington and Canongate (EH8) - which saw 114 cases in 2021.
Advice from the BikeRegister tells owners to buy the best approved lock money can buy, pick a well-lit spot to leave your bike, lock it to something secure such as a lamppost, use two different locks if you can and insure your bicycle.
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