Bike shop burgled for third time in three years as thieves ram SUV into building, leaving behind “trail of destruction”

A bike shop owner in Cambridgeshire says he is “devastated” after an attempted burglary – which saw thieves ram an SUV into the front door – left behind a “trail of destruction” and 11 customers’ bikes damaged, just two years on from a raid that resulted in 90 per cent of the shop’s stock being stolen.

Steve Heathcock, the owner of C6 Bikes in Waterbeach, said he was alerted to the most recent break-in attempt at his shop – the third burglary in just under three years – by the building’s CCTV. On the night of 6 October, thieves drove a 4×4 into the front of the shop, located on an industrial estate just off the A10 in Waterbeach.

But thanks to security measures put in place by Heathcock, the damage caused by the vehicle activated a fogging device connected to the building’s internal alarm system.

“When I first looked on the cameras I couldn’t see anything, but 10 minutes later I could see smoke coming out of the building and thought it was on fire,” Steve told the Ely Standard.

The updated security measures were put in place after the shop was the victim of an extraordinarily organised targeted break-in in 2023, a burglary which saw 90 per cent of stock taken and left the business fighting to claim insurance money due to the lack of any trace left by the thoroughness of the raid.

“Luckily, the break-in triggered the alarm because the last time we had no warning and thieves were able to make off with nearly everything,” Steve said of his month’s more orthodox attempt, which this time saw no bikes stolen but left plenty of damage to the shop.

“The security system did its job, but it’s ruined the front door and damaged 11 bikes belonging to customers.

“The shop remains open, but we can’t secure the building to an insurable state until the fogging device is reset and the door repaired.”

Steve added that he’s been forced to remove five bikes worth a combined total of £100,000 from the building and secure them off-site, while noting that the burglary has had a devastating impact on trading amid an “already difficult time for small businesses”.

“We’ve now got customers with orders waiting for bikes and we’re having to tell them we don’t want to risk their bike getting stolen again,” he said.

“While the alarm worked this time, what’s left is a trail of destruction for us to sort as a result of 30 seconds’ worth of opportunist work.”

He continued: “There’s so much of this type of crime going on and it’s really important business owners are aware so that they can upgrade their security systems.”

> “If you told me the SAS did this, I’d believe you”: Bike shop loses almost all stock in staggering break-in “like Hatton Garden heist”

This month’s smash and (not quite) grab was carried out almost exactly two years on from a meticulous, altogether more successful raid on the shop, perpetrated, Steve believes, by organised criminals displaying a “baffling” level of knowledge about the building and shop’s layout and security.

“If you told me the SAS fast-roped out a helicopter and did this, I would believe you,” Steve told road.cc last year, before going on to explain how the thieves, who have still to this day not been caught, stole £200,000 worth of high-end bikes, kit, and components without being caught on CCTV.

The burglars avoided being picked up on CCTV throughout and began by scaling their way onto the 10-metre-high roof to cut through the building’s point of sight broadband wire.

“They waited an hour, came back, and cut a hole in the side of the building. Again, they knew exactly where to cut a hole. There’s only one square metre on the ground floor that’s unobstructed that you could actually come into, but they knew where that was,” Steve said.

“So they came in through that, and then once they were in, they somehow got right across the other side of the building, because the alarm control unit is on the opposite wall, without setting off anything.

“Then they disarmed the alarm completely and got around all the anti-tamper on the case. We’ve got a fogging device in there as well, so when the alarm sounds it fills a place with disco smoke in 20 seconds. They knocked that out as well.

“Then, once they did that, they had time to cut all the locks off the roller shutters. They basically rolled the roller shutters off, we think. We don’t know, because they avoided all the CCTV on the site, and there’s only one road in or out of the site, but somehow they’ve got in and avoided all the CCTV. They’re not on CCTV anywhere.

“We think they rolled the shutters up, backed a van in, moved two tonnes of anti-ram raid to the other side of the door somehow, filled the van up, and drove off.

“If you watch that documentary on the Hatton Garden robbery, they essentially did the same thing to get into that place,” he continued, adding that his insurers “still don’t believe me, I don’t think”.

“You see stuff where someone turns up with a Ranger Rover and drives into the front window, it’s a smash and grab and off you go. But when we walked in, it looked like someone had moved us out.”

> Bike shop targeted in “lawless” raid attempt, major damage as car rammed into building twice

Regarding this month’s smash and grab raid on his shop, Cambridgeshire Police have launched an investigation and are currently appealing for witnesses.

“We were called at 9.35pm on Monday (6 October) to reports of a burglary at C6 Bikes on Ely Road, Waterbeach,” a police spokesperson said.

“Officers arrived on scene within 10 minutes of the call and searched the shop, but those involved had left the area

“Enquiries revealed a dark coloured 4×4 vehicle was used to ram the roller doors, forcing them open, but nothing was taken.

“An investigation has been launched and enquiries are ongoing. Anyone with any information is urged to contact police online quoting crime reference 35/76110/25. Alternatively, you can call 101 if you do not have internet access.”