THIEVES have left an Oxenhope family "desperately upset" after stealing a pair of classic motorbikes described as being of huge sentimental value.

The Triumph motorcycles had belonged to the late motorbike enthusiast Peter Greenwood, who died of cancer two years ago aged 72. They were being looked after by his widow, Catherine.

Both bikes – a Triumph Tiger 100 and a Triumph Thunderbird – are thought to have been stolen from inside a garage at Mrs Greenwood's Upper Marsh Lane home between 8.30am and 9.30am last Wednesday. (Nov 12)

Mrs Greenwood's daughter in law Denise Gibson, who also lives in Oxenhope, said a lock had been forced off the garage door.

"The bikes may have been wheeled across the garden as there are tracks but they would have struggled," she said. "It's possible they could have been stolen in the early hours of the morning, but that would have been very difficult for them.

"The bikes will be very difficult to sell as they have frame numbers and engine numbers.

"We want to share this information as far as possible, particularly to anyone who is involved with classic bikes.

"Peter was a well known plumber in the Oxenhope area and he was a side car trials rider.

"The bikes both have a lot of sentimental value for us. It's not about their monetary value, because they weren't for sale and were never going to be for sale.

"The Tiger 100 in particular has a lot of memories attached to it and the Thunderbird was Peter's 70th birthday present which he only rode up and down the road once. It was his dream bike but he wasn't well enough to use it."

The Triumph Tiger 100 is a 500cc bike, registration UAJ 583, and is silver coloured in its original condition. It is not pristine, and has some rust on its chrome.

The other bike is a Triumph Thunderbird 650cc. Its registration is 182 JUR and it is black and silver coloured with a full silver bathtub fairing.

Mrs Gibson added that in the same incident last week, the thieves also stole a large, professional standard steam cleaner.

She described the machine as bright red, and made by an Italian company. "It has three wheels and is very heavy, so it would have been difficult to move and lift." she said.

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police has said officers are aware of the theft and are investigating the incident.