Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has issued a warning to bicycle owners after receiving "several reports" of thefts in the town centre.

In a message posted on GMP’s "Bee in the Loop" system, operational support officer Elwyn Jones warns that the force has received several reports of cycles being stolen from Oldham Leisure Centre.

The message says a thief has been cutting through cycle locks at the leisure centre, which is located on Middleton Road.

Now, GMP has warned that some locks are better than others – advising bicycle owners to use higher quality locks, and to register their bicycles through the "Immobilise" property register.

The full message reads: “We have received several reports of cycles being stolen from Oldham Leisure Centre on Middleton Road in the town centre.

"The thief is cutting through the cycle locks by some means. It is important to note that some locks available whilst cheap, simply do not offer the same protection as a quality device.

“Using a £3 lock on a £1,000 cycle isn't the best decision you can make.

“Please consider purchasing a quality lock for your prized possession, we would also recommend registering your cycle using the Immobilise system.”

According to retailer Halfords, independent security product certification agency "Sold Secure" holds in the industry standard for testing and certifying locks.

The agency provides four levels of ratings: Diamond, Gold, Silver, and Bronze – measuring how long a product can withstand attempted removal.

Some bicycle insurers, such as Laka, insist on cycles being locked with at least a "Gold" rated lock to be considered insured – with locks available from around £30.

Figures released last year show that Oldham has the lowest rate of cycling in England.

The Active Lives Survey from Sport England is used to assess how much exercise people are getting across the country.

Figures from the survey, compiled by the Department for Transport, show 4.4 per cent of people in Oldham were cycling at least once a month in the year to November 2022 – the lowest rate in the country.

This was a fall from 6.5 per cent in 2019, before the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Across England, 16.1 per cent of people said they cycled once a month in 2019 – which has since fallen to 13.1 per cent.

Numbers also fell in Greater Manchester, with 9.7 per cent cycling at least once a month – a fall from 12.7 per cent in 2019.