Northern Ireland

More than a third of Belfast Bikes stolen or vandalised

Belfast Bikes outside Queen's University. More than a third of bicycles in the fleet have been stolen or vandalised. Picture by Hugh Russell
Belfast Bikes outside Queen's University. More than a third of bicycles in the fleet have been stolen or vandalised. Picture by Hugh Russell Belfast Bikes outside Queen's University. More than a third of bicycles in the fleet have been stolen or vandalised. Picture by Hugh Russell

MORE than a third of Belfast Bikes have been stolen or vandalised, putting the future of the scheme in jeopardy, Belfast City Council has warned.

The council said of the 576 bikes in the fleet, 210 have either been stolen or have been taken out of service due to vandalism.

A council spokesman said 19 bikes were stolen over the Easter weekend, six of which have since been recovered, and a further eight were vandalised.

He said vandalism is costing the scheme almost £1,800 a month.

More than 400,000 journeys have been made with the bikes - which carry the logo of sponsors Coca-Cola Zero - since the scheme was set up two years ago.

But the council warned that "a recent spate of theft and vandalism is jeopardising the future of the scheme and having a severe impact on the number of bikes in circulation for users".

"Although some of the Belfast Bikes have been stolen for personal use, much of the damage inflicted on the public bikes is simply mindless vandalism, with, in one case, a bike being sawn in half," a spokesman said.

The council and the PSNI have appealed to the public to report any theft or vandalism. They also asked users of the scheme to check a bike is properly locked when returned to a docking station.