Newly released data has revealed that bikes kept at stations in our area are among the safest in the UK.

Royston station, which placed 312th out of 1,026 stations featured in the data, recorded 15 bike thefts from April 2016 to the end of March 2019.

Despite having the most secure spaces for bikes among those listed with 2,850, Cambridge station came in 593rd place, with just six recorded incidents over the same period.

Ashwell & Morden station at 814th was even lower, with just two bike thefts recorded since 2016, while Shepreth was ranked 925th, with one push bike recorded as being taken.

All these stations compare favourable to counterparts in Herts.

St Albans has had the most bike thefts of all the UK stations listed - with 262 in the same three-year period, although it does have the second highest number of secure bike places - 1,160 - among all those listed.

Hitchin station, which placed 23rd out of 1,026 stations featured in the data, recorded 86 bike thefts from April 2016 to the end of March 2019.

Stevenage station came in 41st place, with 74 recorded incidents over the same period.

Letchworth station also broke the top 100 - landing at the number 86 spot - with 48 thefts over the three years, while Baldock station was 339th, with 13 bikes being reported stolen.

The figures - released by British Transport Police, the Office of Rail and Road and Transport for London - indicate that in total there were 299 recorded bike thefts in our area since 2016.

With more and more people wanting to reduce their carbon footprint and the cost of commuting, cycling is becoming a more popular choice of travel both to and from stations.

A spokesperson for Govia Thameslink said: "As part of our commitment to boost sustainable travel, we have installed many more bike racks at our stations to encourage more people to cycle.

"Across the network, we work closely with the British Transport Police and run joint bicycle marking schemes and have in the past handed out free high-security locks. We also have notices advising cyclists how to lock their bikes securely.

"Our own rail enforcement officers work alongside the BTP and at station hotspots we have put in dedicated patrols in uniformed and plain clothes."