The majority of bicycle thefts in St Ives and Ramsey take place despite the bike being locked up, according to new police data.

An analysis of crime data released by Cambridgeshire police revealed that in 62 per cent of the 76 recorded cases of cycle theft in the last three years, the victim reported that their bike was secured.

This is compared to 35 per cent of those that said their bikes weren’t secured and a further three per cent that didn’t know.

Across the two towns as a whole, 20 per cent of cycles that were stolen were taken from gardens and a further 17 per cent from homes, with only one per cent of bikes stolen from sheds.

Though the data released by the force highlighted that one per cent of the incidents took place in car parks, that figure rose to nine per cent for park and ride.

But when out enjoying leisure activities you are more likely to have your bike stolen outside a shop in St Ives and Ramsey (9 per cent) than outside of a pub (8 per cent) or a leisure centre (7 per cent).

As part of the analysis, officers revealed that Monday is the day that most bikes are reported as stolen (23 per cent), closely followed by Tuesday with 21 per cent reported on that day.

Figures also highlighted that 41 per cent of bikes stolen in the two towns were taken at night, with only five per cent taken in the morning.

Following the data release Cambridgeshire police has issued guidance to cyclists on how to protect their bikes.

A police spokesman said: “We take incidents of bike crime extremely seriously and we work closely with other forces to combat cycle crime.

“We would urge members of the public to ensure their bikes are secure and to use dedicated bike racks, which help to prevent theft.

“In addition to using dedicated racks that are designed to prevent theft, we also recommend people use two decent d-locks. Cyclists can also make use of marking schemes and websites where property can be registered.”