FEARS have been raised some thefts in Oxenhope are being carried out by highly organised criminals who deliberately target specific properties for high value goods.

Councillor Peter McManus was responding to the latest crime update delivered to Oxenhope Parish Council last Wednesday evening.

He said his son, a keen competitive cyclist who lives in the village, has had three mountain bikes stolen in three years. The third was stolen four weeks ago and was worth £2,500.

Cllr McManus said: "This bike had been inside a heavy-duty shed, which was not visible from the road.

"They took the hinges off the shed door, sawed through a heavy-duty chain and used a big hammer to smash the burglar alarm.

"This does seem like very organised crime. They've gone searching to find that bike.

"The theft was only six nights after the Leeds Triathlon and it would have been very public knowledge as to who entered this event. It would be worth checking with the Leeds Triathlon organisers as to how many entrants' bikes were stolen shortly afterwards."

Cllr Joyce Harrop said one of her neighbours had lost £2,900 worth of fishing equipment from their shed, after it was broken into by thieves who again removed the shed's door hinges.

Council chairman, Cllr Ken Eastwood, said: "We've had a number of reports during the past month about people behaving suspiciously in the village in the early hours of the morning.

"And it does also seem to have been the same vehicle spotted each time."

Police Community Support Officer Helen Wynn Evans, who addressed councillors at the meeting, said: "We have had a few garage and shed break-ins and some bikes stolen.

"There have also been vehicles broken into, and these still appear to be vehicles, which have been left unlocked or have satellite navigation equipment inside them. We are warning motorists of this."

She added police are circulating CCTV footage in relation to the shed thefts, and working to increase patrols in the area.