More bikes were stolen in Hackney last year than any other London borough, the latest crime statistics have revealed.

In the 12 months leading up to April, 1,288 cyclists were cursing their luck after having their wheels nicked – that’s an average of three and a half thefts a day.

There were 16,575 in total across the capital, with Westminster having the second highest with 1,203.

For Hackney it’s a minor increase on the 1,282 thefts the previous year, when only Westminster had more.

Hackney has the second highest proportion of commuters who cycle to work and with most thefts being from the street. Hackney Council is continuing to invest in cycle parking spaces across the borough, from concreted Sheffield stands to cycle hangars.

Rich Cantle, a blogger who founded Twitter account StolenRide for victims to share pictures of their bikes, said a “high percentage” of his requests came from people in Hackney.

He said: “In December Hackney received a large investment for cycle parking and other provisions, which is an extremely important and a vital step that will take some time to have true effect. Cycle crime is a complex issue and requires a joined up collaborative approach.”

Last year, the Gazette spoke to Russ Morgan, who dramatically took his bike back from a thief outside Tesco in Morning Lane and was asked to give a speech to Canadian students about standing up to bullies as a result.

South London borough Sutton had just 98 bike thefts last year, with Bexley also a safe haven for cyclists with just 103.

Worryingly, London Cycling Campaign estimates that three of every four thefts go unreported.