Cyclists in Newham are being encouraged to attend bike marking and registration days hosted by the police to deter bike theft.

Officers will be using bike register to record marked bikes and they will be giving cyclists advice on how to lock up their bikes securely to deter cycle theft.

Registration helps the police and retailers identify and verify legitimate owners of stolen or resold bikes.

Andrew Knights, whose company Selectamark owns BikeRegister, said: “We have seen a notable increase in the identification of stolen bikes since the initiative started, and in the run up to Christmas, BikeRegister will be an invaluable aid to officers ont he streets helping them take immediate action against suspected bike thieves.”

Newham marking days will take place on January 5 and 6 between 3pm and 7pm in Meridian Square, Stratford, between the rail station and the bus station.