THIEVES are slicing through cycle racks in Headington to steal bikes.

The city council has warned it has received two reports of metal racks cut in the area within the last week.

A common tactic is to slice the rack and then hide it with tape so unsuspecting cyclists attach their bikes to an already broken rack.

Cyclox chairman Simon Hunt said he had not heard about this happening more widely across Oxford but described it as 'extremely worrying'.

He added: "Cyclists will have to be alert to the issue and check racks they use have not been tampered with.

"Hopefully this will be a few isolated incidents and it goes no further."

Anyone who finds a bike rack that has been sliced is asked to report it to the city council by emailing highways@oxfordds.co.uk or using the ‘Fix My Street’ website.