A woman and her two housemates were left “shaken up” and “stressed” after two bikes were stolen from inside their flat when they went out for dinner.

The burglar was apparently able to get into the women’s home in the Frampton Park Estate by smashing their dining room window “with a brick”.

The victims, who asked not to be named, are now warning others to make sure their bikes are not visible from the outside.

Two of the women have lived on the estate for the past two years, but their new housemate moved in just three days before the burglary.

On May 9, the three, all in their 20s, went out for dinner “for a few hours”, only to discover that their door was “wide open” when they returned home.

One told Hackney Gazette: “I think my first thought was – we’ve left the door open by accident.

“And then when we went in my housemate discovered that someone had smashed the dining room window with a brick and managed to climb in.”

She added that she believes her flat was targeted because of the visible bikes, as the only other item stolen was £100 in cash. The burglar did not steal the women’s dog or electronic devices.

Hackney Gazette: The burglar allegedly used a brick to smash the flat's dining room windowThe burglar allegedly used a brick to smash the flat's dining room window (Image: Newsquest)

One of the victims said: “We were all really shaken up –  there was glass everywhere. It was obviously quite stressful [waiting for police to arrive].

“We didn’t really know what to do because there was a massive hole in our window – we just decided to sleep on the sofa until we could get the window fixed the next day.”

The two bikes, one of which was worth up to £800, have yet to be found. The copper-coloured ‘Whyte’ bike has serial number A058202035, while the blue bike has serial number WBK518164R.

Hackney Gazette: Copper ‘Whyte’ bike with serial number A058202035Copper ‘Whyte’ bike with serial number A058202035 (Image: Newsquest)

Hackney Gazette: Blue bike with serial number WBK518164RBlue bike with serial number WBK518164R (Image: Newsquest)

One of the women said: “I feel like, in the cost-of-living crisis, robberies are going to go up. I want to tell people that you need to make sure your bikes aren’t visible.

“I never thought that someone would smash a window to steal a bike.”

“I’ve moved around a lot in London and Hackney was the first place that I could actually see myself living in for a long time.

“I really like it here. I think we’re hoping to feel safe here again but that’s obviously going to take some time.”

  • Police say they charged a man – 31-year-old Tommy Gilbert of Kenton Road – with burglary in relation to the thefts yesterday (May 16). He appeared at Thames Magistrates Court the same day.