Five motorcycles taken from guest houses in 2 weeks

POLICE are hunting thieves who have stolen five motorcycles from foreign tourists in Edinburgh in the last fortnight.

The bikes, which included a high-value BMW, all had foreign number plates and have been stolen from outside guest houses in the city.

Detectives do not believe the thefts are linked but that more than one gang of thieves may be targeting tourists.

The most recent theft took place on St Mary's Place yesterday morning when a German-registered Triumph Daytona motorcycle worth around £2,000 was taken from outside a guest house at around 7.45am. That incident came just three days after two unsecured motorbikes were taken from the front car park of a guest house in Minto Street between 2.30am and 8am.

A grey-and-silver BMW worth £15,000 was stolen, along with a black Yamaha worth £8000. Both bikes had Swiss number plates and belonged to holidaymakers, who have since returned home.

The incident followed the theft of another two Swiss motorbikes - a Suzuki and a Honda, which were worth around £1300 each - on 15 July. They had been left unsecured on Windsor Street and were later recovered on Brunswick Road. Two youths have been charged in connection with those thefts.

The total value of the five motorbikes stolen amounted to £27,600.

DC Kevin McDougall from the Stolen Vehicle Unit said there was "quite a big problem" with bike crime in the city.

He said: "There will be two or three groups out doing this, it's not just a couple of individuals. Most of the bikes that are being stolen are being ridden across from the continent so they are half decent bikes, and they are fairly new.

"The tourists obviously think Edinburgh is a nice area, they are parking their bikes without securing them and they are just getting taken."

He added: "These bikes predominantly haven't been chained up and they are just being wheeled away. Bike security is minimal so they can easily hotwire them."

Between May 2009 and May this year, 507 motorcycles were stolen across Lothian and Borders, 55 of which were in Leith.

A police spokesman said: "We are appealing for any information that can help us identify who is responsible for these thefts, and we are warning bike owners to be on their guard.