Police find 101 stolen bikes in house in Oldham

Police officers investigating the theft of a bike from a railway station in West Yorkshire followed a trail that led to them discovering 101 other stolen bicycles stored in a single house in Oldham, Greater Manchester.

The bikes, which were discovered last Friday, were kept in bedrooms and the back garden of the house, reports the Manchester Evening News.

British Transport Police confirmed that a man had been arrested on suspicion of fraud and handling stolen goods.

Officers are now collating the serial numbers of individual bikes to see if they can be matched to individual crime reports and reunited with their owners

Police used two vans to take the bikes away from the property, necessitating three trips in each vehicle.

In a post on Twitter, the force said: "CID have been kept busy this weekend after 101 suspected stolen bicycles were seized from an address in Oldham.

"Officers are now making their way through a long list of serial numbers, a male has been arrested and released under investigation as enquiries continue to trace owners."

In a separate statement, British Transport Police said: "Following an investigation by British Transport Police into a report of a bike theft in West Yorkshire, 101 bicycles were seized from a house in Oldham on February 15.

"A 42-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of fraud by false representation and the handling of stolen goods.

"He has been released under investigation while inquiries continue.

"The bikes have all been seized by police, and offers are now working to reunite them with their owners."

The news comes in a week when it was reported that British Transport Police is disbanding its specialist bike crime unit in London and the South East, with officers being redeployed to tackle violent crime, which the force sees as a higher priority.