Children left devastated after mini-motorbike theft (From Borehamwood Times)

Children left devastated after mini-motorbike theft from Slade Farm, Butterfly Lane

5:17pm Friday 25th January 2013 in News By Anna Slater

Children left heartbroken after their mini motorbikes were stolen say they have lost their hopes and dreams for the year.

A gang broke into a shipping container in Slade Farm, Butterfly Lane, Elstree, in an organised raid and took £12,000 worth of mini motorbikes and quad bikes belonging to the six children.

During the break-in, which happened between midnight on Tuesday and 6am on Wednesday, the thieves also stole items such as personalised helmets and knee pads.

They prised open the locks with what appear to be angle-grinders to cut their way into the container.

Lee Aldridge, who owns the shipping container, stored his four children’s bikes in the shed and said he ‘felt sick’ when he arrived at work and saw the place had been ransacked.

He said Jasmine, ten, Maisie, seven, Aaron, five and Lily, three, were all still struggling to understand why someone took away their favourite hobby.

The 42-year-old, who lives in Watford, added: “To see the twinkle in their eyes when they were on those bikes was just priceless. Thinking about their little faces when I broke the news still gives me a lump in my throat.

“Jasmine did not want to go to school because she could not stop crying when we broke the news to her.

“We had so many big dreams with those bikes – we had planned a summer holiday where we were going to take part in biking events but now that has all gone down the drain.

“The thieves not only stole their bikes – they stole their hopes, dreams and holiday for the year. They are animals with no moral fibre in their bodies.”

The crime echoes an incident in Fold Farm, Arkley, over the weekend when a gang stole £40,000 of worth of gardening equipment from an industrial yard.

No arrests have been made from either incident and police are not yet linking the two together.

Mr Aldridge's friend Vilnis Valkass also stored his two son’s bikes in the shed – but Adam, eight, and Max, ten – had only ridden them twice since getting them as Christmas presents.

The 52-year-old, who also has two grown up sons, said: “The biggest pain for me was to see my boy crying. That was hard.

“I am so heartbroken, we all are. It is the children hurting the most here and that is what makes us so angry.”