A new survey has shown that Oxford University has the highest rate of reported bicycle crimes out the UK's top 30 ranked universities.
The survey, conducted by bike security brand Hiplok using data from Police.uk, showed that of the top 30 universities, Oxford had the highest rate of reported bicycle crime in the 12 months up to May 2017, with 932 reported incidents.
This figure was almost 300 higher than second biggest bike theft hotspot, Cambridge, which saw 669 reported crimes in the same period.
Surprisingly, universities based within London had significantly lower levels of bike theft despite crimes involving bikes being high in the capital in general. Of the five London-based universities on the list, University College London was the only one to feature in the top ten.
Cycling has always been a popular method of transport for students looking for a cheap and quick way of travelling around while studying.
Yet these latest figures could make for some disparaging reading for students looking to take advantage of riding their bike at university.
Hiplok spokesperson Francesca Smith expressed shock at the latest findings.
'Cycling is one of the top choices for value-conscious students to get around town while at University. We were shocked to see the quantity of bikes being stolen at the UK’s top universities.'
