Police discover 101 suspected stolen bikes in Manchester home after hunt for just one

The suspected stolen bikes were seized from the address and police are working through them, one by one

Police tape (Getty)

Police enquiries into a single missing bike led them to a haul of 101 suspected stolen machines, stacked up in a Manchester home.

The bikes were found in a home in the Copster Hill Area of Oldham on Friday February 15.

British Transport Police (BPT) say that inquiries into the theft of a bike from a railway station in West Yorkshire led them to the home.

The Manchester Evening News reports that officers arrested a man on suspicion of fraud and handling stolen goods.

Police are now using serial numbers to match the bikes to crime numbers and rightful owners.

BTP Greater Manchester tweeted on Sunday, saying: "CID [Criminal Investigation Department - ed]  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."

Two vans were required to make three trips to empty the bikes from the home, where they were reportedly stuffed into bedrooms and stacked up in the garden.

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In a statement, BTP 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."

>>> Bike theft statistics and how to lock your bike safely

A 2017 data set from the Office for National Statistics says that there were 290,000 recorded bike thefts in England and Wales that year, though Stolen-Bikes.co.uk suggests that 71 per cent of people do not report the theft to the police.

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Michelle Arthurs-Brennan

Michelle Arthurs-Brennan is a traditional journalist by trade, having begun her career working for a local newspaper, where highlights included interviewing a very irate Freddie Star (and an even more irate theatre owner), as well as 'the one about the stolen chickens'.


Previous to joining the Cycling Weekly team, Michelle was Editor at Total Women's Cycling. She joined CW as an 'SEO Analyst', but couldn't keep her nose out of journalism and in the spreadsheets, eventually taking on the role of Tech Editor before her latest appointment as Digital Editor. 


Michelle is a road racer who also enjoys track riding and the occasional time trial, though dabbles in off-road riding too (either on a mountain bike, or a 'gravel bike'). She is passionate about supporting grassroots women's racing and founded the women's road race team 1904rt.


Michelle is on maternity leave from July 8 2022, until April 2023.