Cyclists are furious with Morrisons following a spate of bicycle thefts outside the store.
Riders say five bicycles were stolen within a week recently from the bike park in the car park next to the entrance to the Isaac Newton Centre.
Mark Mewes had his cycle stolen one day last week after he had locked it up at about 4.30pm. When he returned, he found the bike gone and parts of his chain lock on the floor.
Mr Mewes, who set up a Bike To Work scheme at Vacu-Lug where he works, says he and other cyclists who are victims of theft, are unhappy with Morrisons whose response has been “It’s a sign of the times”.
Mr Mewes says he does not expect to get his bike back but would like to see some security near the bike park as it is not covered by CCTV.
Mr Mewes said: “It only needs a bit of basic security. It would not cost the earth to put up a camera there. If we can make more people aware of what is going on hopefully we can nip it in the bud.”
Mr Mewes’ wife, Debbie, put a message on Facebook to see if anybody had seen the bike and was surprised to the response from many people who had also had their bikes stolen from the Morrisons centre.
Mrs Mewes said she was angry with the way Morrisons had handled the situation. She was told by the store it was not its reponsibility and it only dealt with queries or complaints inside the store.
She said: “They simply dismissed it and told me to get in touch with head office, but I don’t feel I am getting anywhere. I do not want people to go through what we have gone through.
“My husband is still paying for the bike because he got it through the Bike to Work scheme and has only had it a few months.”
Sarah Foss, who responded to Mrs Mewes’ Facebook message, had her bicycle stolen outside Morrisons in September. She left the bike during the day and cannot believe nobody saw it being taken.
She said: “The town is gridlocked and the quickest way around is on a bike. We are encouraged to get on two wheels but we are being persecuted for it because criminals see them as an easy target.”
A Morrisons spokesperson said: “We were sorry to hear about the theft of Mr Mewes’ bicycle. We want bikes parked outside the centre to be secure and so will look at potential deterrents including CCTV.”