BICYCLE thieves stole £10,000 worth of mountain bikes from commuters who left them at railway stations and other public bike racks in Worcester and Hereford, a court heard.

The three man gang used bolt croppers to steal 21 bikes over an eight month spree and sold them over the internet to unsuspecting buyers, Worcester Crown Court was told.

Anna Midgley, prosecuting, said the offences came to light when two bikes were recognised on the internet and police were informed.

They traced the mobile phone number for the sale to 23-year-old Shane Bradley, of Bromsgrove, and checked other sales over the previous six months.

They discovered pictures of the bikes had been taken in his back garden and they had all been stolen in league with two others, Ashley

Bradley, aged 20, of Charford, Bromsgrove, and 24-year-old Robert Leeds, of Kings Norton, Birmingham.

All three admitted conspiracy to steal the bikes up to December, 2014.

Caitlyn Orchard, defending Shane Bradley, said he had been stealing the bikes to get money to buy cocaine but had now given up drugs and

had taken steps to turn his life around.

Simon Williams, for Leeds, currently in jail until April 7 on another matter, said he had been homeless at the time and had only got involved towards the end of the operation.

Devon Small, for Ashley Bradley, said he had learning difficulties and had struggled to find work but had now been taken on in his father's

garden fencing business as an apprentice.

Judge Nicolas Cartwright handed Shane Bradley an immediate jail sentence of 14 months while Leeds was given four months to start at the end of his current sentence.

Ashley Bradley was given five months in a young offenders' institution, suspended for two years, with supervision for 12 months and 130 hours unpaid work.