Winchester Train Station labelled as bike theft hot spot

Winchester Railway Station has been highlighted as a crime hot spot with 113 bike thefts from in and around the station in the past two years.

Community action group Cycle Winchester is advising cyclists to not use the £400,000 bike hub that was installed in 2016 due to the high risk, while others are considering giving up cycling as their main mode of transport.

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Multiple broken bike locks at the hub found in one day (Image: Cycle Winchester)

A spokesperson for Cycle Winchester, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “We have known for a while the covered Bike Racks aka the ‘Hub’ are targeted by thieves.

“South Western Railway (SWR) staff also know it is a hot spot. The police don't, as a rule, investigate bike thefts or review CCTV recordings even when asked. 

“At times it has the characteristics of an undercover bike showroom for thieves with little chance of being caught. Our advice is not to use the Hub but if you must park there – take an old bike and use a D-Lock.

“The rate of theft from Winchester station is 2.5 times higher than that at Southampton Station with 46 bikes recorded as being taken in the last 12 months. Without a bike, you can't cycle to the station.”

The £400,000 cycle hub (Image: Adele Bouchard)

Cycle Winchester met with SWR last year to discuss some easy improvements at the station but this has not resulted in any proposals. 

In the meantime, the community action group is waiting for the racks in front of the station, which were cordoned off due to broken paving, to be reinstated.

After having two bikes stolen, each worth around £700 to £800, Ben Dornan, from Fulflood, said he’s going to cycle “a lot less”.

His last bike was taken from the station, in front of the CCTV cameras, last month. Mr Dornan even said he would watch through the CCTV videos himself after the police said that he’d been parked there too long (around 16 and a half hours) for them to review the footage.

Ben's broken bike lock (Image: Ben Dornan)

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Mr Dornan, 49, said: “When my bike was stolen there were multiple broken bike locks in the hub and a good friend of mine had there’s taken the same day from the same place.

“I think thieves have sheared through the bars that people lock their bikes to so when people lock up their bikes, the chain just comes off.

“It’s clearly unsafe and people are regularly sweeping through and taking bikes. It’s a numbers game for them and they’re winning.

“It’s incensed because my bike was in the bike shed, locked up with a strong chain and in front of the CCTV. I will never leave my bike there again. When I cycle to the leisure centre there are also cameras but that is no deterrent to these people.

Ben Dornan and his son (Image: Ben Dornan)

“I’m going to cycle a lot less which is a real shame because it’s my principal mode of transport. The issue is absolutely out of hand and completely out of control. It’s not just bikes being stolen from public places but locked garages too.

“Winchester has a lot of people who cycle and with expensive bikes. It’s a real goldmine for these gangs. Loads of people have now turned off cycling which is so regressive.

“We need a sting operation to take all the thieves out. The only people who are recovering their bikes are cyclists who track them down themselves.”

Although there were only two bike thefts from the station in August and one in July, there was a spike of eight thefts in June showing the problem is not going away.

A spokesperson for British Transport Police said: “Bike theft is an issue we take very seriously and we are always working and adapting strategies to tackle it. 

“We regularly patrol Winchester station and also hold bike marking drop-in sessions where we offer free security marking and give crime prevention tips and advice.”

An SWR spokesperson said: “We are very sorry to any customers who have experienced cycle theft at the station. We are working closely with the British Transport Police who continue to carry out operations at the station, and host cycle surgeries, in which they provide crime prevention advice and cycle marking.

“The British Transport Police also have information on its website about how to protect cycles. We will work together to look at other possible measures to prevent cycle theft and to help customers keep their cycles safe.”

Winchester MP Steve Brine said he had been approached by several people who had bikes stolen from the city. 

He said: “A number of constituents have contacted me about bike thefts in the city and I share their concern as one of them, especially around the station bike hub which I campaigned for and opened myself a number of years ago.

“We want Winchester to be even more a cycling city than it is today and confidence is key to that. I am pressing our excellent new chief inspector to bring her new community policing resources to bear here and to SWR who has a clear responsibility on behalf of their customers to nip this in the bud.”