This is Leicestershire --Police have issued an alert to cyclists following a spate of thefts.
Officers at Leicester's Hinckley Road police station warned thieves are targeting several neighbourhoods on its patch.
In a growing number of cases, thieves are sneaking into people's gardens to steal unlocked bikes.
Since the beginning of the year, 153 cycles have been stolen in the area covered by the station, including the West End, Braunstone and Western Park.
In the same period last year, the total was 113.
Police urged riders to keep their bikes locked at all times, whether it is in the street or in their gardens or back yards.
Sergeant Simon Barnes, of Hinckley Road police station, said: "We're advising people to treat their back gardens as if they are public places.
"Even if they are leaving their cycle in their shed, we'd urge them to put a lock on it.
"We've had incidents where thieves have seen people riding home and leaving their bikes unlocked in their gardens.
"The thieves will have a peek over the fence and the bike is there for them to take.
"The same applies to leaving a cycle in public. We want people to lock them to a cycle rack or to something sturdy and immovable.
"We are also urging people to invest in good quality locks.
"It is not unusual for us to receive a report of a theft of a cycle worth hundreds, even thousands of pounds, and to find out that the lock was cheap and poor quality.
"We have D-locks on sale at the station for the cost price of £5. Each one we sell enables us to buy another one for someone else."
The Safer Leicester Partnership, an umbrella body which brings together local authorities and police for a range of crime prevention campaigns, bought hundreds of D-locks for sale at police stations across the city last year.
The proceeds of the sales have enabled police to continually replenish stocks.
Assistant city mayor and local councillor, Sarah Russell, who chairs the partnership, said: "We're increasing the proportion of cyclists across the city who have good quality locks.
"Bikes are being stolen from public places and people's gardens and people need to take sensible precautions.
"Some friends of mine had their bikes stolen from their garden last year and were unable to make a claim because their insurance company said they were unlocked."
Contact Hinckley Road police station on 101 for details of how to buy a D-lock.
Valuables, including bikes, can also be registered on a free national database, which helps police return lost or stolen goods to their owners and also helps prosecute offenders.
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