A NUMBER of Belfast Bikes have been damaged in CS Lewis Square in east Belfast.
It happened between 9.30pm and 10.00pm last night when around eight of the bikes were forced from their docking stations and thrown on the ground.
In a statement, the PSNI said it received reports of the damage at the site on the Newtownards Road.
Former DUP MLA and cycling enthusiast Sammy Douglas described the incident as "sheer vandalism" and said he hoped CCTV in the area would identify those responsible.
Belfast City Council said the damage was "really sad to see" and they will "continue to work closely with PSNI to try to address vandalism".
The police have appealed for anyone with any information to come forward.
This is the latest in a string of incidents involving the bikes in the last year.
In April, several of the bikes were dumped in the River Lagan and last month one user narrowly escaped injury when the wheel came off his bike after vandals removed the bolt attaching it to the frame.
At the time Belfast City Council said that theft and vandalism were costing the scheme £1,800 a month and around a third of bikes were out of action.
Several members of the public have taken to social media following the latest incident to suggest the scheme should be scraped for this reason.
Since its launch in 2015, the scheme has attracted almost 5,000 annual members and more than 5,000 casual users.
