Bristol the worst hotspot for bike theft in UK outside of London

Bristol experiences the third highest number of claims for bike thefts in the UK, according to new data.

The data, by Admiral Home Insurance, reveals the top 20 UK postcode areas where it has seen the most claims for bike theft in the last two years. 

According to the data, over the last two years bicycle owners in the SW postcode area (South West London) made the most claims for stolen bikes, closely followed by those in the SE postcode area (South East London) - yet the risk of bike theft extends beyond the capital city.

The BS postcode area (Bristol) experienced the third highest number of claims for bike thefts, followed by EH (Edinburgh) and BN (Brighton) at fourth and fifth place.

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Admiral’s data reports a significant number of thefts are from sheds and garages - with 40 per cent of bike claims from these locations. 

A further 35 per cent of claims were made for bikes stolen from locations away from home. 25 per cent of bike claims were from within homes. 

Admiral’s head of household, Noel Summerfield, said: “As the weather improves and summer approaches, many people will be dusting off their bikes and opting to cycle more. 

“And with transport strikes and high fuel costs, cycling will be a more attractive option for many – something that could be welcome news for bike thieves. 

“The average value of a bike stolen and reported to our claims team in 2023 was around £1,200, however we insure bikes up to £5,500 and some stolen bikes reported to us over the last two years have been worth over £5,000.  

“We’ve also had claims where multiple bikes belonging to one family have been stolen, which would no doubt be particularly upsetting.”