A family was left stunned and angry after raiders broke into a shed and stole six bicycles worth more than £10,000 during a string of burglaries over the space of two nights.

It is believed the same burglars were responsible for all three break-ins at Corston and Malmesbury, which have prompted residents to improve their security measures.

Two of the raids took place in Corston overnight on Wednesday and Thursday, February 4-5, including the theft of bicycles from the home of David Perry.

The burglars are understood to have forced their way in through a shed window before dismantling the locks on the inside of the door and wheeling away six mountain and cross country bikes.

Mr Perry and his family were devastated by the raid, which has deprived them at of all but one of their bikes. The only one the thieves left was a small child’s bicycle belonging to his daughter.

The theft could wreck a planned cycling holiday to the Alps that the family had booked for later this year. If their insurer does not pay out they will not have any bikes to ride.

Mr Perry fears the burglars could strike again and is urging other residents in the area to step-up their security arrangements, such as installing CCTV and alarms, which he is now in the process of doing.

He said there was a large cycling community in the village and feared that bicycles could be targeted again.

He said: “I think alarms will be needed across Corston now. I was angry because it has taken me a long time to save the money to buy those bikes. I’m now feeling more worried but I’ll certainly be taking precautions in case they come back.”

On the same night, burglars stole a large stone cherub and two axes from a shed in Corston, but later dumped the lot nearby.

Tim Dalgleish, whose shed was broken into, said: “These people were coming for anything that wasn’t nailed down. We haven’t got much worth taking but it seems they were willing to try.”

The previous night, thieves broke into a house in the Parklands area of Malmesbury and stole an iPhone, iPad and several items of jewellery with huge sentimental value.

The haul included five gold and ruby rings that had been passed down through the family over the years. The victims are now installing a security alarm to prevent further break-ins.

Wiltshire Police is keen to speak to anyone who saw anything suspicious around the time of any of the incidents.

People are urged to call the force on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.