STAFF at a Co-op distribution centre in Andover have been left annoyed following a number of bike thefts from its premises.

The employees have complained that a small security gate to the bike park has been broken for the past eight months and left wide open, which is helping the thieves to easily get away.

One of the employees, who wishes to remain anonymous, claims that eight bikes have been stolen from the centre in the past four weeks.

But a Co-op spokesperson said the depot does not recognise the figure of eight bicycles being stolen.

The employee said some of the bikes stolen were quite expensive as well, but there has been little help from the head office

“The people who had their bikes stolen had no emails, no apology, no support from the head office,” the employee claimed.

“These victims have contacted the head office, but they always say the staff need to let the area manager know. But the area manager knows about it and there was no solution yet.”

Since the centre has employees 24/7, the thefts usually occur during the night, claimed to the employee.

“We are all really annoyed because of a lot of us come to work by bikes," the employee said.

“The thieves are using angle grinders because some of these bikes were locked up and alarmed. But still they managed to break it.

“There’s no CCTV showing the bike area or the broken gate. There's no witnesses because when they're stealing it everybody else is inside the building.

“The distribution centre has been there for 11-12 years. It has always been secure. And we have never had this problem till now.”

A Co-op spokesperson said: “The safety and security of our sites is a key priority. We are aware of incidents of theft from the car parking area outside our depot, additional security patrols have been put in place to deter any criminal behaviour and, we continue to work closely with our security provider.”

Hampshire Constabulary confirmed that it is investigating a report of bike theft from the distribution centre based on complaint from an individual.

It could not confirm if all the thefts from the centre are being investigated collectively.