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  • Could you let Boris know about the Police inaction? He's a cycling nut up for election whcih might make him more receptive, and it would be good press for him to sort this out and make an example of the thieving scrote.

    FWIW, I got this note from a mate - one for the justice squad !!!

    "I was in Southwark for an opticians appointment this afternoon. Left my bike locked up outside the office building I was visiting with a regular Chubb lock & wire chain to one of those steel "n" shaped things for locking bikes to. An hour or so later I come out to find my bike has a 2nd lock on it only this one is a seriously industrial motorbike with a chain like you'd find on a boat anchor. Clearly the owner of the lock was planning to return later to my immobilised bike, remove his lock, snip my lock and have away with my bike. I was livid!

    Having ascertained that it wasn't someone from the opticians who objected to my bike parking I went to the local police station to report the incident & hopefully get them to sort it out. Unsurprisingly Mr Plod couldn't give a monkeys. Next I went to a local motor factors to borrow some bolt croppers. They wouldn't lend me some but would sell me a pair of the biggest, ugliest set of nail clippers you can imagine. With my wallet £17 lighter and about 20kg of bolt cropper in hand I return to the bike.

    First attempts are not positive. Despite 3ft of leverage the chain is barely scratched by the croppers and the teeth are bent out of line. At this point I'm feeling really p1ssed off at the thought of loosing the bike & walking back to the office having spent money on a useless lump of iron. The other option is to attack the paddle lock. It's about the size of a kitchen matchbox and has a hardened steel loop. Still, I can mangle the plastic coating and make it difficult for the crim to get to the locking mechanism with the key. And it might make me feel better.

    With the case chewed off the lock body underneath isn't so impressive looking - the case is cast in two halves out of the sort of metal that they make dinky toys out of. Another few minutes with the croppers and it's in bits and I have a liberated bike!!! I also have 4ft of motorbike chain and the satisfaction that a scumbag not too far away is out of pocket to a not inconsiderable degree.

    Surprisingly, during the 15 or so minutes it took me to do this no-one passing by said anything. Is it any wonder bikes get nicked? "

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