A COUPLE were forced to tell their two boys that burglars had stolen their Christmas presents – after the garage they rent from the council was one of 15 targeted in a dawn raid.

The top-of-the-range Carrera bicycles, together worth £900, had been stored in the Bembridge Close garage ready for Christmas Day. Thieves used their shoulders to knock in the garage door. Others had tools worth hundreds of pounds taken.

The tenants, who rent the garages in Park North from the council for £40 a month, are angry that the borough did not warn them that a set of garages in nearby Clanfield Road had been burgled just four weeks earlier.

Mum-of-four Katie Fricker, 30, said she would not have left the pricey bikes in the garage had they known thieves were targeting the lock-ups.

“I would still have those bikes in my possession,” she told the Adver. "My kids would still have their presents to open on Christmas Day."

Katie and husband Dean, 32, had bought the Carrera bikes as presents for 12-year-old Kieran and bike-mad Harrison, nine. One of the bikes – a grey, orange and black Carrera Vengeance mountain bike – was a limited edition, with only a handful made.

“We had to sit the kids down and tell them they had Christmas presents but they had been stolen,” said Katie.

“I’m lucky they are so understanding. They said ‘mum, dad, it’s fine – we’ll go without’.”

Unfortunately, Katie and husband Dean are unable to insure the council-owned garage under the terms of their lease – and their home insurance does not cover the lock-up.

Neighbour Darren Willison, 46, had a chainsaw and a mountain bike stolen from his garage. He estimated that £10,000-worth of goods were taken from the 15 garages.

“We’re just annoyed we weren’t given any warning. No one sent out a memo saying there’s a spate of garage thefts and make sure they’re secure,” he said.

The garage doors were screwed shut by council contractors on Saturday.

But Katie Fricker said: “I think the council has to hold some responsibility.

“What is the council going to do about it? We’re paying now for a garage we can’t use. It’s not lockable. It’s not accessible. We’re still paying for it.

“What about putting things in place like CCTV or security lights to stop it happening and to deter thieves?”

A Swindon Borough Council spokesman said: “We sympathise entirely with all those affected by these thefts. We sent text messages to 350 residents to alert them to the previous break-ins and used social media to help spread the message to tenants.

"When anyone takes out a tenancy on one of our garages the agreement states that additional locks can be fitted to improve security as we do not accept any responsibility for the contents kept within them.

“We also advise our tenants to take out their own insurance. We appreciate this will be no consolation to those that have had items stolen, but we will do all we can to help the police catch those responsible.”