Dozens of abandoned Cambridge station bicycles seized

Owners of bikes at Cambridge station were given two weeks to reclaim them or lose them

Nearly 150 bikes abandoned at a train station have been seized as part of a "deep clean" in the city known as the UK's cycling capital.

The bikes were taken by Greater Anglia from a £2.5m cycle park built at Cambridge train station in 2016.

Cycle owners were given two weeks to remove bikes or face confiscation.

More than one in every 20 bikes at the 2,850-capacity park were removed and taken to storage elsewhere in the county after the deadline passed.

Bicycle owners looking to claim theirs back have 90 days until they are donated to charity by Greater Anglia.

In a recent Department for Transport report Cambridge was found to have the highest proportion (54%) of people who cycle at least once a week, while nearby south Cambridgeshire was third (33%).

Bikes left abandoned at the station were left with the above notice

The city has England's largest train station cycle park, which opened in February 2016, and warning tags were placed on bikes after a sweep by Greater Anglia on 15 October.

Owners were asked to remove the tags to indicate the cycle was being used and if not they would be taken.

Greater Anglia said it was trying to clear space for regular cyclists to use its cycle park

Paul Wilkinson, Greater Anglia's integrated transport manager, said: "We know many of our customers park their bike at the cycle point, which is why we are working to clean the facility and free up space for those who wish to use it.

"We have removed 148 cycles which were abandoned.

"Cycle point remains a safe, free space for people to park their bikes and we are committed to keeping it in good condition for the thousands of people who use it every day."