A CITY pub is to rent bike locks to its punters after falling victim to a spate of bike thefts earlier in the year.
The Continental on South Meadow Lane, Broadgate, Preston, is located on the new Guild Wheel cycle path.
But whilst the tourist attraction has brought the eaterie several new punters, it has also brought another problem - thieves.
Around five bikes were stolen from the racks outside the pub two months ago, even though some of them had been locked up by their owners.
Now pub staff and police have joined forces to try and thwart the thieves in a bid to prevent any further thefts.
PC Carl Ingram, community beat manager for Broadgate, said: “ We did have a problem developing but the pub have worked with us to stop it.
“They are determined to protect their customers.
“ They donated funding for a set of six top quality bike locks which are very difficult to break.
“ Under the scheme cyclists who visit the pub whilst using the Guild Wheel will be able to rent the locks for a nominal fee to protect their bikes.”
Jeremy Rowlands, owner of the Continental, said: “We want to ensure people have extra protection for their bikes when they park up here so they can feel they are in a safe and secure environment.
“We went into partnership with our community police.
“The Guild Wheel has brought us more trade and we think its a great community facility.
He added: “Any possible negatives are far outweighed by the positive.
“I’m glad to say in the time we’ve been open we’ve had very few problems apart from the small spate of bike thefts.”
The locks have cost around £200 with the pub paying half towards the scheme.
The Guild Wheel - one of Preston City Council’s flagship projects for the 2012 Guild Year - is a continuous, 21 mile long multi-use greenway around Preston, which is particularly popular with cyclists.
The route includes some of the city’s best features, including the docks, Savick Brook, Ribble Link Canal, the Brockholes nature reserve, Avenham and Miller Parks and the River Ribble.
It makes the most of the different landscapes that surround the city of Preston, and is mainly off-road and traffic free.
Anyone with information about bike theft, or other crime on the Guild Wheel, should contact Preston Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
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