Cyclists are being warned that bikes left abandoned at Oxford railway station will be removed and could end up being scrapped.

There are hundreds of parking spaces for bikes at the rail station and Walton Street Cycles and Bainton Bikes oversees the space on behalf of Great Western Railway and British Transport Police.

Bikes which appear to have been abandoned are tagged, and if the owners don't remove them they will usually be removed within about four to five weeks.

READ MORE: Oxford station cycle parking is 'woeful'

Kevin Moreland of Walton Street Cycles has been at the station this week, tagging and removing cycles.

On Monday he removed 21 bikes.

He said: "We work directly with Great Western Railway and British Transport Police - it's a constant process to try to free up spaces for cyclists who want to park.

Oxford Mail: Bikes at Oxford railway station

"If bikes are removed they are kept in storage by GWR for a limited period and the owners can speak to GWR and ask for their bikes.

"Some bikes carry bike register numbers and that makes it easier for the owners to be contacted."

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Mr Moreland outlined the key steps in the bike cull:

Step 1 – Identify bikes which appear to be abandoned and place tags on the handlebars advising the bike will be removed in 2 weeks

Step 2 – Remove any bikes that still have tags, despite the 2 week warning this is normally 4-5 weeks

Step 3 – bikes are placed into storage (in case of recovery)

Step 4 – repeat step 1

Step 5 – bikes are refurbished or stripped of parts and sold on.

The big tag says: "To ensure maximum availability of cycle parking at Oxford station GWR and BTP are identifying abandoned bikes. If this bike is here and still tagged in two weeks it will be removed."

Oxford Mail: Kevin Moreland tagging bikes at Oxford station

He added: "Our advice to cyclists is keep their bikes maintained, make sure their bikes are registered and don't leave them here for longer than a month."

Last month Andy Chivers of cycle campaign group Cyclox described the cycle parking provision at Oxford station as 'woeful'.

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He said: "Perhaps it was the knee-deep piles of leaves last autumn that made the station bike parking area look so desperately neglected. Or maybe the forgotten bikes dangling at crazy angles from their rusty locks.

"The covered area is hard enough to get in and out of even if you find a space, but the open area is like an assault course which you leave with scratched shins and elbows. Getting your bike to a free bit of rack may be difficult, but what will you find on your return?

"Hopefully your bike will still be there (you spent enough on a good lock, after all) but your exit is blocked by all the other bikes. And as for parking a non-standard bike, like a tandem or a tricycle that is nigh impossible."

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

You can also read his weekly Traffic and Transport newsletter.