CCTV outside a council-run leisure centre which has seen a spike in bike thefts does not work in the dark, the Gazette can reveal.

Although Colchester Council bosses have steered clear of officially commenting on the matter, we have seen documents giving the news to two victims of theft and believe it is important for residents to know the truth.

It comes after a freedom of information request revealed the number of thefts reported to Leisure World, in Cowdray Avenue, had doubled in the last year.

The number does not include thefts reported solely to Essex Police rather than directly Leisure World, so it is likely the true number of thefts is higher.

One of the victims said: “I know you leave your bike there at your own risk - everybody knows that - but the fact it doesn’t work is a real criminal’s charter.

“And I understand why the council wouldn’t want people to know that it doesn’t work but the fact is, that CCTV should work and I think people who use Leisure World should know that.”

The second victim added: “I suppose the lesson is not to leave your bike overnight. The worry is these days people actually do have quite expensive kit and thieves can see it as an opportunity to make a few quid.

“I’m probably lucky because it was a bike I’d had for a long, long time probably wasn’t worth too much but not everyone will be like that.

“Some people will have lost hundreds if not thousands of pounds worth of stuff.” A spokesman for Colchester Council, which runs Leisure World, said: “We do not comment on the security systems we have in place at Leisure World.

“Unfortunately, the centre is not unique in experiencing this type of crime.

“However, we take property theft extremely seriously and will always share CCTV footage when requested by police.”

He added: “We would advise cyclists to use the bike racks and bike bins available for cycle parking at Leisure World, and to ensure they use a good quality lock to reduce the risk of theft.”

The warning comes after Colchester Conservative leader Darius Laws’ bicycle was targeted twice by thieves in the town.

In the first instance, a bike light worth about £50 was taken while in the second, his bike lock was cut and replaced with a Poundland lock.

It is not the first time the council has come in for criticism regarding CCTV.

Earlier this year Colchester Council chief executive admitted “five or six” cameras in the town “are not as good as they could be”.

However a regular programme of replacing cameras is in place.