A bike hire operator says it is willing to take action over antisocial behaviour after numerous bikes were found piled up this morning.

The Beryl bikes were discovered tangled in Whippendell Road, Watford, though how it happened remains a mystery and it has since been cleared.

A spokesperson for Beryl said: “This was an extremely rare and unacceptable incident of antisocial behaviour and our on-street teams were dispatched quickly to tidy the bay within minutes of us being notified.”

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Watford Observer: The bikes piled up. Credit: James LindsayThe bikes piled up. Credit: James Lindsay

James Lindsay, who lives in the area and reported it to the borough council, said: “I was frustrated when I saw it because I was planning on using one of the e-bikes to get to work.

“It is a shame that people decided to ruin these bikes as they are a great initiative in Watford that many people use.

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Watford Observer: How the bikes should be left in the bays. Credit: Beryl How the bikes should be left in the bays. Credit: Beryl

“The quick response from Beryl was heartwarming. I hope the bikes are not damaged too much.”

Watford Labour councillor Nigel Bell added: “No matter how much we want to encourage cycling, there are clearly issues with the way the Beryl Bikes are being left around the town that needs properly looking into.”

Beryl bikes have onboard sensors that alert a system when something happens, such as a bike being left outside of a parking area.

Alerts are processed, logged and then made available to scheme operators to take action.

A Beryl spokesperson added: “Guided by our industry leading GPS technology, our on-street and customer service teams work incredibly hard to look after scheme practicalities, such as moving vehicles to empty bays or swiftly locating and returning lost or stolen ones.

“This approach enables the team to exceed their target of rebalancing the bikes at key hub locations within one hour, preventing unpleasant scenes such as these.

“We will continue to work with Hertfordshire Constabulary and Watford Borough Council and will review and take action against serious incidents of vehicle misuse and criminal damage.”