Britain’s bike theft scourge continues: Brazen thief attempts to steal bike outside Asda in broad daylight – as bystander withdraws cash – and moped muggers target club ride

The scourge of bike thefts and violent bikejackings currently affecting cyclists across the UK appears to show no signs of relenting, as a brazen thief was caught on camera using an angle grinder in an attempt to steal a locked bike outside an Asda in broad daylight on Thursday, as a bystander withdrew cash from an ATM yards away.

And just two days later, on Saturday morning, two club cyclists were mugged on a busy London road in the latest in an increasingly long line of bikejacking incidents involving thieves riding mopeds.

Thursday’s incident, footage of which was shared on TikTok, took place outside an Asda in Wolverhampton, near Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Molineux Stadium, and saw one thief – wearing a motorcycle helmet – attempt to break through a bike lock with an angle grinder while an accomplice waited on a motorbike.

During the 20-second clip, the would-be thief can be seen noisily hacking away at the lock, with sparks flying, as a member of the public withdraws cash from an ATM right next to the blatant attempted theft, briefly glancing around to survey the scene before returning to his task.

After struggling to break through the lock with the angle grinder, the thief then begins to kick and grapple with the e-bike, which was locked to a cycle stand next to the Asda.

The clip ends before the pair were able to make off with the bike, and it is unclear whether the theft was indeed successful. West Midlands Police have been contacted for more information.

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Just two days after the attempted daylight theft in Wolverhampton, a pair of club riders were subject to a violent bikejacking in London, with two moped-riding muggers fleeing with the cyclist’s bikes.

The shocking incident, the details of which were shared on social media by the X/Twitter account Badgercyclist, took place on Saturday morning at a traffic light on a busy road in High Barnet.

According to the cyclists, who are members of the Regent’s Park Rouleurs club, the muggers pulled up alongside them at a red light and “screamed in our faces ‘Right, get off your f***ing bikes now you c***s’ over and over, and getting increasingly aggressive”.

More details pic.twitter.com/KzrbP0jnbF

— 𝔅𝔞𝔡𝔤𝔢𝔯 RPR 🔱 🄹🄰🄼🄴🅂 (@badgercyclist) October 14, 2023

The victim continued: “We gave them over as we knew they could be armed and could do some damage. They looked like they could have been bouncers – well built, Cockney accents, and around 50-years-old.

“Clearly more experienced criminal scum and not like the kids that have been doing it in other cases.”

The cyclists have reported the bikejacking to the Metropolitan Police, who have been contacted by road.cc for comment.

> Moped rider jailed for three years for punching, robbing, and threatening to stab cyclist

As noted by the victims of yet another terrifying bikejacking this weekend, similar violent muggings targeting cyclists have become increasingly common across the UK in recent years.

> Shocking footage shows masked men attempting to steal cyclist’s bike after forcing him off the road with SUV

Earlier this month, a cyclist was assaulted by two masked men in broad daylight who attempted – and ultimately failed – to steal his bike after forcing him off the road with a SUV in what appeared to be a targeted bikejacking attack in Worcestershire.

The cyclist was reportedly followed for around four miles by the SUV driver, before being cornered in a driveway, with only the intervention of the house’s owner and a passing motorist forcing the thieves to leave without the bike.

In August, a Kent cyclist raised the alarm about bikejackings in the area, sharing video footage of two moped-riding attackers forcing him off the road in a frightening incident on a busy road.

Peter Roper sent road.cc the video of the attempted bikejacking which happened on the A25 in Brasted, while he was riding his Trek e-bike. The cyclist said he saw a moped pass in the opposite direction, shortly before the rider and passenger pulled alongside to threaten him with a knife and push him off the road.

Fortunately, Peter was able to mount the pavement due to the dropped kerb, ending the attack.

In the most high-profile bikejacking incident in recent years, in autumn 2021 professional cyclist Alexandar Richardson was knocked off his bike, dragged for 100 metres by muggers on motorbikes, and threatened with a machete during a shocking attack in Richmond Park.

In April, a teenager, aged 15 when Richardson was attacked, was jailed for 12 months for the bikejacking.

Another professional cyclist, former Scottish champion Jennifer George, said last year that she no longer rides alone after she was similarly attacked by two people on a motorbike during a long ride from her home in southeast London out to Surrey.

> What can be done about the latest spate of bikejackings?

Last summer, a member of Penge Cycling Club narrowly escaped a robbery attempt near West Wickham, around five miles west of Orpington, during which the rider was told he would be stabbed if he did not give up his 2022 Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7.

Another incident saw a Trek Domane SL6 and Wilier GTR forcefully taken by a group, described as “youths on mopeds” by one victim and “four males on mopeds” by the other.

Duncan Dollimore, head of campaigns at Cycling UK, said he believes criminals – such as the ones who targeted the cyclists in High Barnet on Saturday – are attracted towards stealing high-end bikes because the potential money to be made from selling them on far outweighs the chances of getting caught.

“It is possibly perceived as a low-risk crime if the numbers of people being caught are so low,” he explained. “It may be seen as a high-reward, low-risk crime.

“Somebody has posted on Strava what they are doing on their ride. The criminals will know it is someone on a £3,000 to £4,000 carbon fibre bike who has unwittingly signposted the fact that they are likely to be heading out to Kent or the Surrey Hills. It is on the police’s radar.”