YORK has the worst bike theft problem in the north of England - with more than four stolen every day.

Police are warning cyclists to be on their guard after a total of 1,113 bikes were stolen in the city in the last nine months.

Only Oxford and Cambridge had more bike thefts during that period.

Detective Superintendent Lewis Raw, of North Yorkshire Police, said: "York is one of the three worst places in the country for bike thefts, the others being Oxford and Cambridge."

In Oxford, 1,189 bikes were stolen between April and December, and a staggering 2,349 were taken in Cambridge. In York, bike thefts accounted for 5.4 per cent of the 21,749 crimes in the city during that time. And it's an increasing problem - with 72 more thefts than during the same period in 2004.

Seven bikes were stolen in the city on Wednesday alone.

Det Supt Raw added: "It's a huge problem. The frightening statistic is how few of those are detected - about 2.5 per cent.

"It's a really complex and difficult issue and there is no easy solution to it because bikes are very difficult for us to trace. The normal detection rate for a crime is about 33 per cent. That sends a clear message out to me that the solution lies in prevention."

In 2004, more than 1,400 bikes were stolen, worth a total of £319,863 - an average of £219 per cycle. Almost 40 of those taken were worth more than £1,000.

Police are taking steps to tackle the problem by making the city's bike stores secure, and are stopping known thieves if they are seen with a bike, to ask where it came from. If they can't give a good explanation then the bike is confiscated.

Paul Hepworth, York spokesman for the cycling lobby group CTC, said: "I have two bikes - a cheap shopping bike and a more expensive leisure one - but I'm even reluctant to bring the shopping bike into the city centre at night.

"Even if you use a good quality lock, very often people will return to find their saddle has been pinched, or one or even both wheels. It's best to use at least two locks and to take anything detachable with you, even if that means taking your front wheel into the theatre."

He said adequate CCTV would help to combat the problem, but would not solve it.

"Even at York Railway Station, where there is reasonable CCTV coverage, is not entirely immune," he said. "There are often derelict bikes left where parts have been stolen so the owners have abandoned the rest." More than 160 bicycles, worth thousands of pounds in total, are crammed into a property store at Fulford Road police station.

They range from expensive mountain bikes worth up to £700 each to 30-year-old lumps of rust.

Keith Armstrong, who is responsible for the store, said: "It's always full. We only trace the owners of about ten per cent of them. It's often down to them giving poor descriptions."

Det Supt Raw believes the only people who can solve the problem are the cyclists themselves - by taking simple steps to secure their property. He advises them to keep a photograph and detailed description of their bicycle and have an electronic ID tag put on it. He also advises cyclists to never leave a bike unlocked, even in their own back garden, to invest in a good bike lock and always leave it in a secure, well-lit area.

:: Theft facts

The least safe street in York to leave a bike is Parliament Street

Bikes are more likely to be stolen in January, May, August and September

The days of the week when bike thieves are most likely to strike are Wednesday and Thursday

Most bike theft victims are aged between ten and 19

About 25 per cent of all bike theft victims are students

Ten per cent of all bike thefts are from three locations - the University of York, York District Hospital and York College of Further Education.

Updated: 09:49 Tuesday, January 17, 2006