Update: Five men from West Midlands arrested after investigation into £150k bike burglary

By Will Goddard 6th Sep 2022

The Bike Shed Outta-Town, Honiton Rd, Sowton Industrial Estate, Exeter (Google Maps)
The Bike Shed Outta-Town, Honiton Rd, Sowton Industrial Estate, Exeter (Google Maps)

Update 14 September: Five men from the West Midlands have been released on bail after being arrested on suspicion of theft.

Police are still appealing for witnesses.

A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said: "In response to the investigation including numerous enquiries, detectives conducted a day of action on Monday 12 September, with assistance from West Midlands Police.

"As a result of the action, five men aged 39, 38, 34, and two 28-year-olds, all from the West Midlands, were arrested on suspicion of theft.

"The men have since been released on bail with conditions while further enquiries are carried out.

"Officers are still appealing for witnesses and would also like to hear from anyone who has been offered a high-value bike for sale."

If you witnessed the incident or have any information or dashcam/CCTV footage that could help, contact police online here or by calling 101, quoting crime reference CR/081847/22.

You can also contact independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously.

----------

Police are appealing for witnesses after bicycles worth a total of £150k were stolen in a commercial burglary near Sowton Industrial Estate.

The bicycles, which were taken from the Bike Shed Outta-Town on Honiton Road, included "numerous rare and valuable bikes" such as one model that retails for around £8k.

As many as 38 are confirmed as missing.

The burglary took place overnight from around 10.15pm on Sunday 4 September to around 3am on Monday 5 September.

Detective Constable Abi Campbell said: "This appears to be a planned and targeted burglary.

VW Crafter stock image (Devon and Cornwall Police)

"We believe that those involved used a large white VW Crafter (pictured), which had a black trim, to transport the bikes away from the area.

"This would have taken numerous trips possibly to another area where the bikes were initially stored; this could have been to a location that is relatively local.

"We are appealing to the public and to businesses in and around the area to review CCTV between 10pm-3am on Sunday 4 September into Monday 5 September and to contact police if you have captured anything of note. We would also like to hear from any road users who may have dashcam or helmet cam that may be of interest.

"We would also like to hear from anyone who has been offered a high-value bike for sale. We have the serial numbers of all the stolen items and we are determined to locate these bikes and arrest those responsible for this crime."

Santa Cruz Heckler Carbon S Spec stock image (Devon and Cornwall Police)

Bikes of note confirmed as missing include:

  • A medium-sized Santa Cruz Heckler Carbon S Spec in maritime grey (pictured)
  • Cube Stereo 140 Team, grey and olive, size X-small
  • Cube Reaction EXC 750, grey and red, size XX-large
  • Bianchi E-Omnia FXXT, blue, size medium
  • Forme Lathkill, green, size small
  • Liv Embolden E+1, metal, size medium
  • Trek Allant+ 5 Lowstep, grey, size small

If you witnessed the incident or have any information or dashcam/CCTV footage that could help, contact police online here or by calling 101, quoting crime reference CR/081847/22. You can also contact in independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously.

     

New exmouth Jobs Section Launched!!
Vacancies updated hourly!!
Click here: exmouth jobs

Share:


Sign-Up for our FREE Newsletter

We want to provide exmouth with more and more clickbait-free local news.
To do that, we need a loyal newsletter following.
Help us survive and sign up to our FREE weekly newsletter.

Already subscribed? Thank you. Just press X or click here.
We won't pass your details on to anyone else.
By clicking the Subscribe button you agree to our Privacy Policy.