Rostrevor Mountain Bike Centre has been forced to temporarily close as every single bike in its hire fleet has been stolen.

The thieves struck at around 1:30am on Monday and made off with 20 bikes including Nukeproof Scouts, Trek 8.5s and Trek 4300s. CCTV shows that four criminals were involved in the theft that is believed to be related to two other bike thefts in the preceding days.

The incident has forced the Centre to temporarily close and all customers who have been affected are being refunded.

Ian Cumming, one of the directors of the Centre, told Belfast Live: “We are utterly floored by this. Deflated, demoralised. Our entire fleet of hire bikes was taken by what can only be described as an organised group. At the mouth of the season, this can only be described as devastating for this small business.

“Our fleet has been meticulously maintained, with none of the original components and they are numbered on specific locations on their frames. We only hope that someone out there has some information to help us to find our fleet.”

If you have any information on the stolen bikes contact Crimestoppers as soon as possible.