THIEVES stole a £1,000 mountain bike after breaking into a garage — while the owner was at home.

The burglars struck at the home of Andy Dawson in Lever Park Avenue, Horwich, and stole his Cannondale F3 Mountain Bike.

The incident is part of a spate of thefts and came a week before thieves stole two bikes from a house two miles away.

Mr Dawson, aged 48, got in touch with The Bolton News after reading about the latest theft in Blackrod.

In that incident three men were caught on CCTV stealing bikes worth £4,000 from the house of Elaine and David Forester, who live in The Cheethams in Blackrod, a five minute walk from Mr Dawson’s property.

Mr Dawson, whose bike was bought for more than £1,000 and is royal green in colour, said: “Whoever took my bike managed to break in through the garage roof while we were in the house and then let themselves out with the bike — it was actually quite a brave manoeuvre.

“I didn’t know about the other incident until a neighbour showed me the newspaper and I thought it seemed rather coincidental as it happened just a couple of miles away — although I wouldn’t put my bike in the same league as the others.”

“The odd thing is that I hadn’t used the bike for quite some time so I have no idea how anyone knew that I had it.”

He said the burglars also stole a golf bag, but chose to empty out all the clubs and instead use it to steal a chainsaw, bike equipment and a pair of gloves.

Mr Dawson’s property was insured and he is waiting to hear from his insurance company regarding the claim.

Both burglaries have been reported to the police but so far none of the stolen bikes have been recovered.

Anyone with information about either incident is encouraged to contact the police on 101.