BIKE thieves have been active in the Peebles area with three incidents of thefts of high value mountain bikes from vehicles reported to police on Monday and Tuesday.

Enquiries are ongoing into the thefts which occurred around 9pm on Sunday night August 21 from Cardrona, overnight on Sunday from outside a motorhome at Glentress, and also and around 2:30pm on Tuesday August 23 from Greenside carpark.

Officers have issued the following advice to bike owners.

“We would advise not leaving bikes attached to carriers overnight or unattended for extended lengths of time.

“Try to park your vehicle in a busy location or where there is good street lighting.

“Use high quality ‘Sold Secure’ locks and fixings to deter / slow down thieves. Ideally use both D-lock and cable/chain locks to secure the frame and wheel to the bike carrier / tow hitch.

“If you have more than one bike then also secure the bike frames together for greater security.

“An audible alarm that is activated if the bike is moved can also deter thieves.

“A GSM camera mounted inside the vehicle can be used to send an alert to your mobile if a bike is moved or a vehicle is entered.

“Register and security mark your bikes with a national cycle database such as Bikeregister 

“If you think that you may be being followed or watched by potential thieves whilst out and about with your bike, note descriptions of vehicles (inc. reg no.) / suspects and call us on 101 to report it (999 in an emergency)”