POLICE are warning cyclists in York to be on their guard after a rise in bike thefts - despite more than 3,000 bikes being fitted with electronic tags.

Officers and the City of York Council estimate almost ten per cent of all bikes in the city are now fitted with state-of-the-art devices to combat theft.

The tagging is part of a campaign by police and the Safer York Partnership to combat cycle theft, which accounts for around seven per cent of all York's crime.

But in September there were 301 bikes stolen in the city, compared with 223 in August. Most were stolen from the city centre.

Sergeant Rick Ball said there was still big demand from cyclists for more tagging events.

Anyone who wants to have their bike tagged can go along to the mobile police station at York St John University on Wednesday or at the Lowther Street shops in the Groves next Saturday. Sgt Ball said: "I would urge cyclists to attend these events because we are experiencing a very high level of cycle crime in York.

September was a particularly difficult month and getting your cycle tagged is a way of combating this."

Since the campaign was launched in April, 29 events have been held around the city, inviting cyclists to have the electronic tags - worth about £5 - fitted to their bikes for free.

Sgt Ball said: "Each tag has a unique identity code which is held on a database along with the owner's contact details and a description of the bike, so when a cycle is recovered by the police it is routinely scanned to locate the tag, which in turn reveals the whereabouts of the rightful owner."

Police are carrying out stop checks in the street and scanning operations to make sure bikes have not been stolen.

Sgt Ball said he was now looking to organise a meeting with bike shops in York to come up with a way to give out advice on bike security to customers when they buy a new bike.