Three men who stole £74,000 worth of bicycles from stations, including Richmond and Twickenham, have been jailed for a total of five-and-a-half years.

Police believe the trio stole almost 1,000 bicycles between July 2012 and December 2013, before listing them for sale on auction websites.

Tomasz Brzezinski, 26, from Ealing, was jailed for 30 months when the three men were sentenced at Blackfriars Crown Court on October 17.

Joshua Scott, 19, from Brent, received an 18-month sentence while Zayn Khan, 19, from Ealing, was also jailed for 18 months.

All three men saw six months shaved off their initial sentences for entering an early guilty plea.

Richmond and Twickenham Times:

Detective Superintendent Paddy Kerr, of British Transport Police (BTP), said: "These men were involved in an elaborate criminal conspiracy to steal bikes from public bike racks and then quickly sell them on for cash - often using popular auction websites.

"They were organised criminals, targeting expensive bikes belonging to rail commuters.

"By disrupting large-scale criminal activity like this, we can continue to reduce the number of bikes stolen from railway stations in the London area."

PC Paul Skinner, who investigated 29 offences in Richmond, said “I hope these prison sentences are a deterrent to others who choose to follow similar paths.

“I urge all bike owners within Richmond to take simple crime prevention measures to prevent your bike from being stolen. 

“Use decent locks of gold 'sold secure standard' and deter thieves by having your bicycle visibly security marked.”

The investigation was carried out jointly by BTP and the Metropolitan Police.

Officers were able to link more than 530 bike thefts to the three men by using a series of techniques, including CCTV footage and tracking their whereabouts.

Since their arrest, a further 460 online adverts for stolen bikes were linked to the trio.

One example saw a woman's £900 Condor racing bike stolen from Richmond station on September 11, 2012, and officers later discovered it was sold online.

Another man’s vintage bike, worth more than £1,000, was taken from the racks at Twickenham station on May 6, 2013, and later found an advert for it online.

BTP officers contacted the seller, who claimed he had bought the bike from Scott, after seeing it advertised - it was seized and returned.

Analysis of CCTV footage from Twickenham station showed Khan and Scott in the area at the time, with cell analysis of Scott’s mobile phone also placing him close to Richmond station.

In July 2013, properties occupied by Khan and Scott were searched by officers and bikes and tools were seized.

On August 20, 2013, BTP officers arrested Brzezinski, Scott and Khan.