• Annual insurance claims for bike theft average over £7.5 million
• Over 250,000 bikes were stolen in the last three years – one every six minutes
• Bike theft in the UK has risen by 17 per cent since 2015
• Cyclists in East London need to be the most vigilant, as the area had the highest number of bikes stolen in 2017
   

New analysis¹ from Direct Line Home Plus Insurance reveals one bike is stolen in the UK every six minutes. In the last year alone, there were 93,571 bicycle thefts in the UK and 257,000 over the past three years.

Incidents of bicycle theft across the UK have increased by 17 per cent in the past three years. Annual insurance claims for bike theft are estimated at over £7.5 million, with Brits having claimed over £22 million worth of stolen bikes since 2015².

The most common types of bikes targeted by thieves are mountain bikes, making up nearly half (48 per cent) of all thefts in the past three years. Hybrid bicycles are the next most popular for criminals, accounting for just under a third (30 per cent) of thefts, followed by road bikes (18 per cent).

Bike theft in London is increasing faster than anywhere else in the UK, growing 21 per cent in the last three years, with over 58,000 bikes stolen. London postcodes also account for four of the top ten bike theft hotspots, with East London nabbing the top spot with over 9,000 cycles stolen in the last three years.