Mountain bikes worth thousands of pounds have been stolen from an Alaskan family living in Aberdeen’s west end.
Police have launched an appeal for witnesses after thieves ripped the lock off of the Winfree family’s shed and stole three of their expensive mountain bikes.
The theft is reported to have taken place between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning at the family’s home at the end of Kepplestone Avenue, in the Rubislaw area of Aberdeen.
Mike Winfree only noticed that his family’s bikes had been stolen when he came home from work on Wednesday night.
Mr Winfree said: “I left for work on Wednesday morning and didn’t notice anything, and my wife Paula called at about 8am and said that someone had gone through her car, which was what we noticed first.
“The door was unlocked and they had opened the glovebox and rifled through stuff, but thankfully there wasn’t anything valuable there, only the kids’ snacks.
Mrs Winfree added: “The shed is behind the house over a wall, so I leaned over the wall and could see that the doors were ripped open and the bikes were gone.
“They tried to unscrew the hinges and take the lock off, we know that because a couple of the screws on the hinges were missing, but apparently they gave up because they then just ripped the lock off along with the wood it was screwed onto.
“We’ve lived here for about two years and have felt very safe here in this neighborhood, we’ve never had anything like this. It’s an unsettling thing to happen to you, it makes you worry, especially with the kids.”
The stolen bikes that the police are currently hunting down are an orange and black 2004 Kona Stinky, a black 2010 Novara Ponderosa and a white 2014 Specialised Myka.
Mr Winfree added that the bikes could be easily identified as his family bought them from the United States, meaning the left and right brake handles are placed on opposite handlebars when compared to UK bikes.
Police constable Kyle McGivern said: “It is important to ensure you keep your property out of sight and in a secure location when it’s not being used.”
Anyone with information can contact Police Scotland on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.