A FAMILY had a rude awakening earlier this week when they discovered the doors of their padlocked garden shed wide open with no sign of three of the motorbikes stored inside.

A FAMILY had a rude awakening earlier this week when they discovered the doors of their padlocked garden shed wide open with no sign of three of the motorbikes stored inside.

Natasha Bush, 20, looked out of her bedroom window in St Anne's Crescent, Gorleston at 7.30am on Monday (February 4) and saw two of the family's push bikes laying on the lawn.

When her father Christopher, 43, went out to investigate he discovered the padlock had been broken and the two pit bikes and Yamaha YZ85, worth a total of £1,525, were missing.

He also found the padlock on the rear gate had been broken, and this entrance was only ever opened when Mr Bush and his son Adam, 16, took the motorbikes out for a spin.

He said: “My daughter was saying that the shed doors were open and my wife's bike was lying on the grass and so I looked out of the window and I thought 'oh no' I could see the doors were open.

“I don't know if the bolts to the shed were cut or wrenched off because I never saw them.”

The raid could have happened over the weekend, but Mr Bush said nobody had heard the intruders even though the shed is only 7 or 8ft away from the house.

However, a neighbour noticed the gate was open at 5.30am on Monday and shut it again, but had not suspected a break in.

Another neighbour reported seeing bikes matching the descriptions of the missing three being ridden across Bunnewell Park in Bradwell at 8.15am the same morning.

Lowestoft College pupil Adam bought the £150 second hand lime green pit bike with money he had earned from his paper round, while his father paid £375 for his black and gold pit bike which had flames stickers on its bodywork and the number 40 in red on the front.

The blue Yamaha cost £1,000 and had the words “White Brothers” written across the handlebars.

The pair regularly took the motorcross-style bikes down to an area of scrubland near Harfrey's Industrial Estate, which is a popular site for bikers especially during the summer months.

“We have been everywhere we can think of in case the bikes are roaming around or have been dumped. We have asked people who have bikes if they have seen anything, but there is nothing we can do really. It is very frustrating.”

Kristina Fox, spokeswoman for Norfolk Police, confirmed one of the three sheds at the property had been raided and the three bikes were taken.

Anyone with information relating to the incident should phone PC Eleanor Parish at Gorleston on 0845 4564567.