THE manager of a social enterprise has thanked the public for their support following the aftermath of a double break-in.

On February 9, at 4.30am, repeat offender Robert Thormton broke into Bike Stop on Skinnergate, Darlington, taking a bike worth £450.

The Northern Echo:

He returned later and took another cycle worth £650, selling them both for £70.

Thormton, who has 97 previous offences, admitted two charges of burglary at Teesside Crown Court and was jailed for 16 months .

Following the sentence, Bike Stop's manager Rob Archer said he received numerous supportive comments from members of the public.

He said: “We have had a positive and sympathetic response from the public as a result of people who have seen the news.

“There has been a lot of public awareness about us because of it, which is good.

“From our perspective it was great to see that he was apprehended. It was good to see that there was some sort of sentence behind it.

“It’s a positive that he was caught. The police did great work and from our point of view it was partly a relief that we weren’t going to have this repetition of another break-in."

The nighttime raid cost Bike Stop £2,400 of damage, including the repair of its front door and window.

The Northern Echo:

Mr Archer said: "I spent my first two weeks doing nothing else but deal with the repercussions of the break in. The financial implications of losing the two bikes meant we lost a day’s trade.

“In the last two months I have spent three weeks’ worth of my time just concentrating on how we work with this and put right the break in.

“We haven’t really gone forwards. We’re putting a lot of energy into bring something back to where it was."

The manager added that Bike Stop are moving on from the incident and are again able to focus their efforts on upcoming projects and events, such as their popular 'confidence ride' sessions in South Park.

He said: “The outcry from the community has been so powerful and heart-warming to hear.

“I feel like we have gone past and are in a more secure position than we were two months ago.

“To see how we are received in the community has been a real positive one."