'Bike theft central': Crime type quadruples at London station
London’s worst railway stations for bike theft ranked
Clapham Junction had more bicycle thefts than any other London railway station last year, data obtained by a Freedom of Information request has revealed.
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The South West London hub had 27 thefts from January to June, according to British Transport Police data, a 286% rise from just seven the previous year.
Richmond and Waterloo were second and third in the list, respectively, and the top three all showed a rise despite bike thefts being down across the UK as a whole over the period.
Cycleplan, the insurance company which received the Freedom of Information (FOI) request, also found that the proportion of cases ending in a charge or summons has doubled from 4.4% to 9% from 2025 to 2026.
The FOI analysed railway stations and not Tube stations in London and broke down as follows:
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Sean Carney, of Cycleplan, said: “We’d encourage anyone leaving a bike at a station to use good-quality locks, secure the frame to a designated cycle stand and register their bike with a recognised cycle database.
"Train operators and station partners also have an important role to play in preventing and investigating cycle theft, including making effective use of CCTV and other available evidence.”
National Rail has guidance about which stations have a bike shed, where spaces can additionally be hired for safe storage.
Some operators allow passengers to bring bikes or folding bikes on board, although time restrictions may operate.