A SPATE of bike thefts in a town centre has sparked a warning by police.

At least four reports of pedal bicycles going missing in Horsham town centre have been made in the past few days, police said.

Following the incidents, Horsham Police have issued a warning to bike owners.

“We've had at least four reports of pedal cycles going missing in Horsham town centre over the last few days,” a police spokesman said.

“We're reminding bike owners to always lock the bike when left unattended.

“It's recommended that two strong D-locks are used, otherwise bolt cutters will do their job and the bikes won't be there when you return.”

Last month, police issued a warning about bike thefts in Brighton and Hove.

Police said while they may never eradicate all bike thefts in the city, there are ways to deter thieves.

These include double-locking the bicycle to slow thieves down, registering the bike's frame number to enable the bike to be traced back to you, marking it as a visible deterrent and taking the removable parts with you.

“Whether your bike is a top-of-the-range, carbon-fibre racing machine or a vintage hand-me-down with many a story to tell, chances are, it is important and invaluable to you,” a police spokesman said.

“Unfortunately bike theft is very real and there are many determined thieves out there who won’t think twice about stealing your pride and joy.”

In 2021, fewer than one percent of bicycle thieves were caught in Brighton and Hove.

An FOI put in by The Argus revealed that only two people were charged, despite 929 bicycle thefts in the city between January 1 and November 30 last year.

Out of 624 bicycles stolen in Brighton, 594 investigations were completed with no suspect identified.

In Hove, 295 bike thefts had no identifiable suspect out of the 305 stolen.

The reasons for the remaining figures were reasons such as evidential difficulties or "not applicable".

One theft resulted in a "community resolution" which often means the person has admitted the theft, or the victim did not want formal action taken.

In total, two people were charged.