Motorbike owners in Ipswich are being warned of a rise in thefts of the vehicles.

The crimes have been reported in the south east area of Ipswich in recent weeks.

Now police are warning owners of bikes to be extra vigilant in securing them so they do not become victims as well.

Inspector Gary Miller, from south east Ipswich local policing command, advised people in the town what they could do to reduce the chances of their bike’s and mopeds being stolen. “Currently we are experiencing an increase in the theft of motorbikes and mopeds across the South East (of Ipswich) and Ipswich in general,” he wrote in the weekly south east Ipswich Neighbourhood Watch newsletter.

“On the whole the bikes are taken from driveways and roadways, so my appeal is to make sure they are adequately secured or moved completely out of sight where possible. They have largely been taken overnight and we think they are stolen for onward sale as we have had very few reports of joy riding.”

Insp Miller added he is encouraging people to be vigilant of any suspicious activity seen in the town and to report it to police.

He said that this was particularly important in part due to the bike thefts but also because an increased number of burglaries had been reported in the town.