Stolen bikes

I know for sure that loads of these bikes are being sold for peanuts to guys sending containers full abroad. There's a container yard off ferry lane with guys who buy bikes no questions asked. All it would take is for the police to pop down there and run a few serial numbers through the system and i'm sure plenty of people would be reunited with their bikes. There's also a scrap yard nearby who do the same, sending them to eastern europe, they even offered me pennies for the nearly new Giant MTB I was riding when I asked about buying some scrap wheels, probably assuming it was stolen and I'd sell it cheap.

There is no winning against these scum, who steal bikes, and those who buy them to send abroad.

EDIT: I'm not in any way implying I have anything against people who export stuff, just the ones who buy bikes without checking if they are nicked, and they almost always are (who sells legit bikes for £10-£15? which is what they offer)

That is interesting information, Dazaa. It may compute with such a low retrieval rate for what's now endemic ...Brick Lane, Broadway etc.

A while back there was a problem with vintage Mercs being nicked and shipped out. Volumetrically, bikes probably offer a higher return for a 'lower risk', as it were.
Have you reported this concern?
Maybe I'll take a reccy. quite soon...and use some connections.