A BIKE fan says he is absolutely gutted after a gang broke into his garage and stole three motorbikes and three mountain bikes worth up to £20,000.
Shane Gunn says it appears the thieves had information that the bikes were stored at his Blakeney home – the former Travellers Rest pub – as the garage is up a slope behind the property and can’t be seen into from the road.
“You have to say it was targeted by an organised gang,” he said. “All they took was my off-road machines, my road bike was left and all my power tools.
“They managed to stretch the garage frame to get the security steeel roller door up and they must have had a van hidden off the road nearby, as they’ve carried the bikes up some steps at the back of the garage, across a field and through a hole in the hedge,” added the engineer.
“All the bikes were chained toegther, but they’ve smashed off the locks, so they’ve obviously come prepared.
“It’s really upsetting, as some of the bikes I’ve owned for 20 years or more, and I’ve spent lots of money and time restoring them; it’s been a labour of love.”
The theft happened at his New Road home some time between 5pm on Thursday, October 17, and 2.30pm the following afternoon, when Shane’s wife noticed stones on the ground by the garage, where the raiders had tried but failed to lever the shutter door up.
Among the bikes taken were his pride and joy, a vintage red 1979 Honda Red Rocket Motocross Bike in ‘immaculate’ restored condition, which Shane valued at £8,000 or more.
The other machines taken were a 2004 red Honda CRF250 Endurance motorbike with registration VX04 UJV; a Gas Gas trial bike in red with silver spays; a Yeti 303 Downhill mountain bike in white with fox forty front forks; a Scott Ranson Endurance bike with a silver frame and swing arms; and a Marin Quake mountain bike.
Father-of-one Shane, 50, who has had bikes since he was three years old and goes mountain biking every year in France, has appealed for bike fans and other members of the public to keep an eye out on social media and elsewhere, if someone is offering similar machines.
“We’ve only been in the house 18 months, and the bikes have pretty much been in the locked garage all the time, as we’ve been renovating the house,” he said.
“I got extra strong steel security doors put on it, and the bikes were all securely chained together.
“We went out on the Thursday evening, but my daughter and boyfriend were in and didn’t hear anything,” he added.
“The thieves have chiselled and stretched the door frame to get at the roller door and then cut all the chains and padlocks,” added Shane.
“They obviously had a van to load the bikes into, which it looks like they’ve parked away from the main road.
“I’ve got posters up at bike centres and the message is getting out through bike clubs and on social media, but my fear is they will strip the bikes down for parts to sell on.
“The gang definitely knew what they wanted and where to get it, and came prepared, because all my other stuff was left untouched.”
Gloucestershire Police are hunting for the thieves and anyone with information, or who witnessed suspicious activity or has been offered the bikes for sale, is asked to call 101 quoting incident 198 of 18 October.
Alternatively, information can be submitted via the online form at www.gloucestershire.police.uk/contact-us/tell-us-about-something
Crime prevention information can be found at www.gloucestershire.police.uk/campaigns/burglary