NEW 'secure' bicycle parking is being rolled out across East Oxford in a bid to crack down on bike thefts.

The 104 new bike racks will be placed on eight streets between Iffley and Cowley Road from The Plain to Bullingdon Road.

They are similar in design to a normal bike rack, except they have a large plastic guard on the front aimed at stopping thieves from dismantling a bike's front wheel and stealing it.

Plans for the bike racks were signed of by Yvonne Constance, Oxfordshire County Council's cabinet member for transport at a meeting on Thursday.

ALSO READ: Oxford's bike theft 'epidemic' is 'only getting worse'

Research by Thames Valley Police shared with Ms Constance in a report has shown that: "Oxford has high rates of cycle theft and many residents in the inner East Oxford area have limited options to park their bikes securely."

Speaking on behalf of TVP, Jamie Howell told Ms Constance the new locking systems were only part of the police's drive to crack down on bike thefts.

He said they were also advising people to register their bike for an ID number with bikeregister.com and showing East Oxford residents how to lock their bikes properly using the new secure parking.

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