CROYDON RIOTS: Bikes brought back
HUNDREDS of bicycles were stolen from a shop in South Croydon - but some Good Samaritans have ensured at least a few were returned to their rightful owner.
Director Mark Baker estimates that £120,000 worth of bicycles have been taken from Cycle King, along the Brighton Road.
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He arrived at the store on Tuesday having heard there had been trouble the following night.
Mr Baker said: "There were three windows broken and every single adult bike, every single BMX, everything that could have been ridden away had gone."
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An angry Mr Baker claims this destruction may have been avoided if he had been allowed to keep shutters worth £25,000 up.
But he claims he was forced to take these down about nine years ago by Croydon Council, as they didn't fit in with the street scene.
And although he had shutters, he believes the old ones potentially could have made a difference.
Like many businesses, the bill is massive, but there have been some kind-hearted acts since the looting.
Mr Baker explained: "Thirteen bikes were returned to us by people who had found them.
"And we had at least half a dozen people who came and asked if we needed help cleaning up."
Cycle King was not the only shop to be targeted in South Croydon.
Richer Sounds had been smashed into, with its stocks plundered by the raiders.
A video has been posted on YouTube which shows items being taken away, with the familiar sound of an alarm ringing loudly in the background.
The person who posted the clip wrote: "By the time I filmed this the shop front had been 'open' for a good half hour and it continued on like this for some time afterwards before any police came at all."
Comments
by tbabygib
Sunday, August 14 2011, 2:51PM
“scotto65 , i hope you have signed the ipetition set up by standupuk, every signature counts there are only 80 now! surely we can do better than that? we need to be heard and by signing, we will be, so come on folks, lots to say but not signing you can tick the box that removes your name, but you vote WILL count, do it please all of you out there WE DO CARE ABOUT CROYDON LET OUR VOICES BE HEARD!”
by roomster
Sunday, August 14 2011, 2:37PM
“Modern up to date bikes will give lower ranked dealers far better delivery times.”
by scotto65
Sunday, August 14 2011, 2:04AM
“I was in southern italy with my kids and family on holiday and was only awhere of the riots on friday the 11th of August. I felt ashamed to be English when returning home at Rome Airport, and wondered on the connecting flight why so many Italians and Chinese would want to visit London. I think we are beginning to seek to a new low as a nation (including most of the members of authority and commentators) with no morals no ethics and a real nasty dog eat dog nature. Seriously considering leaving these shores, can only seeing it declining, and cannot understand why water-cannon wasn't used immeadiately. Proud to be British, don't think so !”
by tbabygib
Saturday, August 13 2011, 6:56PM
“Squired, did you phone the police when you saw this going on? or take a photo on the phone that everyone seems to have these days (apart from me !) i do hope so , it's no good reporting what you saw on this page, if you didn't report it to the police then your as bad as the rest who haven't reported what they have seen and heard, shame on you if you didn't.”
by GuyFawk
Saturday, August 13 2011, 6:32PM
“"Please sign this online petition calling for the Human Rights Act to be scrapped
http://tinyurl.com/3bnchrg"”
by squired
Saturday, August 13 2011, 6:28PM
“No offence to Cycle King, but if you see someone cycling in Croydon on an extremely cheap looking full suspension mountain bike, it is probably from Cycle King. I saw a guy showing his (clearly very) new bike to another guy in West Croydon on Thursday, and got the impression he was trying to sell it.”
by JenniferDiazJ
Friday, August 12 2011, 11:57PM
“THE FACT THAT MOST RIOTERS ARE BELOW 18 YEARS OLD SHOWS THAT THEIR PARENTS KNEW THAT THEIR CHILDREN WILL NOT BE CHARGE COMMITING ANY VIOLENCE OR CRIMES SO THEY SENT THEIR CHILDREN OUT TO DO THE RIOTS FOR THEM IN ORDER TO EXPRESS THEIR ANGER WITH THE GOVERNMENT! SHAME ON ALL THE PARENTS OF THESE CHILDREN WHO USES THEIR CHILDREN TO COMMIT CRIMES SO NOW THEIR CHILDREN'S FUTURE ARE RUIN AND THEY ARE TAG AS OFFENDERS!”
by ArfurTowcrate
Friday, August 12 2011, 12:08PM
“Mrs Towcrate and I noticed that some of the street drinkers in North End seemed to have acquired shiny new bikes in the last few days - I wonder where they got them from?”
by DsDan
Friday, August 12 2011, 11:59AM
“It doesnt help when local minicabs were being hailed to give people a lift with the stuff they'd looted either.”