Burglars steal over £6,000 worth of bicycles in raid on Figgures Cycles in Lymington

“THEY could have shut us down" – that was the reaction from a furious Lymington bicycle hire store manager after raiders stole over £6,000 of recently purchased bikes.

Burglars targeted Figgures Cycles in Henderson Court, off High Street, during Sunday night, ripping the hinges from the door of a shed in its yard to gain entry.

They escaped with 11 Forme Curbar 3 bikes, worth £550 each, which had been bought in March for the summer season.

Some of the nine remaining bikes were also damaged, forcing manager Simon Eatwell to close the shop while they were serviced.

“I’m disappointed and upset that this has happened, as I thought Lymington was a nicer area,” he told the A&T.

“Obviously, the sun’s out so we would have been sending out a few hire bikes, but right now I’ve had to say no to hires until we’ve sorted out what’s what with the remaining bikes, some of which have been damaged.

“This seems cosmetic, but we need to check and service them all to be sure as we don’t want to send anyone out on an unsafe bike.”

Mr Eatwell had just returned from a holiday when the break-in was discovered. The building’s owner alerted police who are investigating.

The incident came about five years after thieves last hit the business, stealing eight or nine bikes, of which only a few parts were recovered.

Mr Eatwell said several other High Street businesses had been burgled in recent months.

Hoping to be up and running again by this weekend, he concluded: “They could have shut us down. It’s just unfair on local small businesses.

“We’re not a big chain, we’re an independent business that has been family-run since 1904, so it’s going to take quite a while to recover from it.”

Those with information should contact Hampshire police on 101, quoting crime reference number 44220381513, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.