AN URGENT warning has been issued to residents after a gang of youths were captured on CCTV going "house to house" and scouting out potential targets after stealing more than £1,000 of bikes.

Brad Riley, of Eastwood Old Road, Leigh woke up in the middle of the night to see a group of teenagers taking his family’s three expensive bikes after breaking into his garage.

Once the 27-year-old checked his CCTV, he spotted the group of yobs going door to door in the street and eyeing up garages they could attempt to break into.

The thefts, on Monday night, have left Bradley furious and he now fears the area is being targeted by crooks and claims it is just one example of a spate of bike thefts.

His brother, who works for Southend Hospital, relies on his bike to get to work every day.

Mr Riley said: “It was around 1am this happened, I heard my dog barking and we saw them escaping with bikes, I had to work for four months to buy mine and my dad’s cost £600.

“The door lock has been smashed in and it’s clear they checked all the garages on the street and took advantage of the most vulnerable. They went in quickly and ran away with our bikes.

“If I am honest, I can barely describe how I am feeling.

“I am absolutely devastated, it is the total disrespect for everyone who lives here, they have taken us all for granted.

“I’m really angry for my stepdad and little brother too, who badly need those bikes.

“My neighbour said the last street break-ins we had here were twenty years ago, I used to leave my car door unlocked and we are all shocked, scared and frustrated.”

Mr Riley has claimed there havebeen a large amount of thefts in Leigh recently and fears that problems elsewhere in Southend are beginning to make there way to his neighbourhood.

“It has been a bit of a mess recently, a couple of months ago, we had a van theft and now this has happened, which is just shocking,” he added.

“I have seen a lot of thefts being talked about online recently and I feel we have been caught in the crossfire here. Another set of bikes was taken across the Fairways around the same time.”

The incident has been reported to Essex Police and anyone with information is urged to contact the force on 101.