Liverpool is Britain's most honest city... and surprise, surprise London is the worst

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It's in the Daily Mail, so it must be true...

Liverpool is Britain's most honest city and London is the worst, according to an experiment which tested the honesty of people across the UK.

In an experiment designed to test the honesty of recession-hit Britons, researchers planted bikes across the country's cities and tested how long it was before they was stolen.

The experiment, conducted across 10 UK cities, saw unsecured bicycles left in high footfall locations.

The bicycles were then left and researchers timed how long it was before they were wheeled away by opportunistic thieves.

And according to the figures it seems Liverpool has come top of the honesty table with thieves waiting four hours to steal a bike.
The finding compares to just 17 minutes in London where a bike was stolen in 17 minutes.
The London and Liverpool figures fall way below and above the national average of two hours and 22 minutes.

Bike theft is a growing problem for all cyclists as Conservative leader David Cameron can testify, having had two bicycles stolen in the last year.

The number of bikes stolen from UK streets has now risen to an estimated 300,000 annually which is every 105 seconds, according to the research by insurance giant More Th<n.

With commuters looking for cheaper travel options due to the recession, bicycle sales have risen by 22 per cent and with June marking the beginning of the busiest period for bike theft.

More Th<n researchers also found only five per cent of stolen bikes are ever recovered with the average one costing more than £200.

In total, bike thieves are costing the nation in excess of £62 million every year.

Peter Markey, Marketing Director for the company said: 'The experiment was designed to raise awareness about the growing problem of bike theft and also to help us identify cities where there is a particularly high risk.

'Naturally we don't recommend anyone leave their bike unsecured and the experiment proves that, no matter where you live, without proper security it's just a matter of time until your bike is snatched.'

City Time taken to steal bike
Liverpool, Matthew St. 3 hours 52 minutes
Bristol, Bedminster area 3 hours 15 minutes

Manchester, Arndale Shopping Centre 2 hours 57 minutes

Newcastle, Eldon Shopping Centre 2 hours 25 minutes

Portsmouth, Southsea area 2 hours 12 minutes

Cardiff, Capitol Shopping Mall 2 hours 10 minutes

Birmingham, The Rag Market 1 hour 55 minutes

Glasgow, Buchanan Street 1 hour 30 minutes

London, London Bridge Station 17 minutes

* National Average: 2 hours 22 minutes
 
Re: Liverpool is Britain's most honest city... and surprise, surprise London is the w

The finding compares to just 17 minutes in London where a bike was stolen in 17 minutes.
The London and Liverpool figures fall way below and above the national average of two hours and 22 minutes.


17 minutes :eek:

Even though, come to think of it, I know places in Cork that would surely beat that time. And Dublin - from what I can remember of the last time I was there - you'd probably be lucky to cycle a bike for 17 minutes before it was taken off you. :rolleyes:
 
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Re: Liverpool is Britain's most honest city... and surprise, surprise London is the w

Wait....but doesn't No Place Like Rome live somewhere near Liverpool? ;)
 
Re: Liverpool is Britain's most honest city... and surprise, surprise London is the w

Wait....but doesn't No Place Like Rome live somewhere near Liverpool? ;)

JJ and NPLR will enjoy this story.:rolleyes:

17 minutes :eek:

Even though, come to think of it, I know places in Cork that would surely beat that time. And Dublin - from what I can remember of the last time I was there - you'd probably be lucky to cycle a bike for 17 minutes before it was taken off you. :rolleyes:



Sure they'd steal your saddle as quick as look at ye in Cork, boy.;)
 
Re: Liverpool is Britain's most honest city... and surprise, surprise London is the w

17 minutes :eek:

Even though, come to think of it, I know places in Cork that would surely beat that time. And Dublin - from what I can remember of the last time I was there - you'd probably be lucky to cycle a bike for 17 minutes before it was taken off you. :rolleyes:

JJ and NPLR will enjoy this story.:rolleyes:





Sure they'd steal your saddle as quick as look at ye in Cork, boy.;)

:lbf: that's hilarious. I suppose this does something to prove the north/south crime thing is a myth. They probably didn't take into account population in given area etc though. I wonder what the daily mail have in store next, honest and integral journalism? :squiffy:
 
Re: Liverpool is Britain's most honest city... and surprise, surprise London is the w

I bet they took the idea from Stephen Fry's Making History.
 
Re: Liverpool is Britain's most honest city... and surprise, surprise London is the w

Well that was a fair and accurate experiment. Train station v shopping centre.

Might as well have left them outside police stations.
 
Re: Liverpool is Britain's most honest city... and surprise, surprise London is the w

I thought liveprool was more known for stolen cars than push bikes.
 
Re: Liverpool is Britain's most honest city... and surprise, surprise London is the w

JJ and NPLR will enjoy this story.:rolleyes

What tosh..... Matthew Street.....:rolleyes: like full of tourists and hardly any scallies.... leave the bike outside a newsagents in Fazakerley and see how long it lasts:D

Jukebox Jury
 
Re: Liverpool is Britain's most honest city... and surprise, surprise London is the w

Bike theft is indeed big business.
Due to a traffic offence police stopped a lorry on the motorway and on opening up over 200 stolen bikes in the back, bound for a different city to be sold. "Professional" thieves make a living from it.

Police do have a "code" your bike service, (on alternate Tuesdays every other month between Two and Three pm, so long as the officer on duty hasn't been called away to buy some sandwiches).
And every now and then, bikes recovered but not claimed by the owner are sold at Police auctions, making a tidy profit. If you can get your bike coded it helps, (so long as the bikes are checked when recovered).

More could be done...:mad:

It doesn't help that people are prepared to go to the markets where they KNOW the bikes are stolen, but don't care about anothers' misfortune, 'cause it's cheap. :mad:
:gun:
 
Re: Liverpool is Britain's most honest city... and surprise, surprise London is the w

I always knew Liverpool was more honest than London, I've know for many, many years
 
Re: Liverpool is Britain's most honest city... and surprise, surprise London is the w

From www.courtnewsuk.co.uk, about a certain Daniel Westrop, who, in 2007 admitted stealing 103 bikes and was reputed, in the national press to have stolen 1,347 bikes, worth an estimated £310,000. Seems that he didn't manage to keep to the straight and narrow! :mad:
Apparently he lived in Bromley, Kent. No idea where he originates from. Could be different.


WESTROP:SERIAL BICYCLE THIEF JAILED FOR NINE MONTHS
CLAPHAM, SW LONDON; BYFLEET, WALTON ON THAMES, COBHAM, SURREY. A serial thief who prowled railway station car parks looking for valuable bicycles was jailed for nine months today (Tues). Daniel Westrop, 29, stole thousands of pounds worth of bikes in his latest crime spree across Surrey.
 
Re: Liverpool is Britain's most honest city... and surprise, surprise London is the w

Wait this story was published in Daily Mail, oh yeah the Fail.....that bastion of fair and balanced journalism. Purrrrrlease
 
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