THE owners of a North Yorkshire bike shop have been left out of pocket for the second time in a matter of months after thieves once again targeted their business.

Father-and-son team David and Paul Stainthorpe now face an unwanted repair bill running into hundreds of pounds following the attempted weekend break-in at the Cyclesense store in the centre of Tadcaster.

Although the thieves were unable to escape with any loot after being thwarted by the High Street business’s security measures, it is another financial blow to its owners after they were the victims of a £10,000 raid in January.

Police are still investigating that theft, which saw three mountain bikes – later recovered from a stolen Nissan van in Bradford – and an array of high-powered lights snatched. David is now ruing Cyclesense’s double dose of bad luck following the attack on its outside store, which housed bikes brought in for repairs by customers, in the early hours of Saturday.

“I just think it’s despicable – and at the end of the day, the damage will cost us more money,” said the 56-year-old, who has been co-running the business for eight-and-a-half years.

“Whoever did it broke in through the rear gates of our car park, cutting through the padlock to our outside storage building, before trying to get through another steel gate by attacking its lock.

“When they couldn’t do that, they left without stealing anything, but we believe the damage they’ve caused will cost us around £400 in repairs.

“It’s really sickening for us because these people clearly feel other people’s property is their property and it’s the second time this year we’ve been affected after never having any trouble before.

“They don’t see the harm and disruption this causes, and what they’ve done has left us with an expense we don’t need, especially at the moment.

“Like every other business, we’re trying to economise, and now we need to find money we hadn’t budgeted for.

“I also believe it shows there is a need for more prominent policing cover in the centre of Tadcaster during the night, rather than just being concerned with what’s happening in the local pubs.”

Following the January 5 thefts from Cyclesense, a 31-year-old man from Bradford was arrested on suspicion of burglary and has since been released on police bail pending further inquiries.

Anybody with information about either this crime or the attempted break-in should phone North Yorkshire Police on 0845 6060247.