A BRAZEN burglar stole a bike from a garage in Edgworth while its owner — a retired police officer — was sat inside his home just 10 yards away.

Former officer Tony Hough has released CCTV footage of the thief making off with his £450 road bike following the break-in in Broadhead Road at 11.45pm on May 20.

Mr Hough was sitting in his kitchen, close to the unlocked garage, when the burglar struck.

The black Giant Defy road bike is less than a year old.

Mr Hough’s home was also broken into in November, when thieves smashed a kitchen window and took £5,500 worth of items including laptops, iPads and his wife Andrea’s OBE for services to engineering and industry.

The 54-year-old said: “I reported the burglary to Lancashire Constabulary but have not heard anything back from them yet.

“Edgworth comes under Lancashire Police but we are stuck between them and Greater Manchester Police, which means they are not picking up on incidents.

“A task force was set up between Lancashire Police and GMP nine years ago but that is the only co-operation I have known between them.

“It is just the way it is, because of cutbacks, and I understand they have other priorities but these opportunist burglaries do need to be investigated.”

The burglar pictured in the CCTV is wearing a pale hooded top and darker trousers with the word Nike written on them.

Mr Hough shared the video on the Edgworth Village Facebook page.

He added: “When I put the CCTV video on Facebook someone else from Edgworth said he had seen someone in Bury Road, 400 yards away, who matched the description.

“A similar incident happened in Bolton on May 29 and it looks like the same person in the CCTV. This has been reported to Greater Manchester Police.

“Quite a few other people in Edgworth and the surrounding area say they have been targeted by thefts from garages and sheds.

“Another resident had both his children’s bikes taken from his shed recently.”

The Edgworth Village page’s administrator said: “Crimes like this are happening more frequently in the village.

“We are vulnerable since they closed the police stations — our closest one open at night time is a good 20 minute drive away.

“Please report crimes, no matter how big or small. The more reports the police receive, the more they will have to do about it.”

A spokesman for Lancashire Constabulary said: “We are certainly investigating this incident, and Edgworth is certainly not forgotten.

“The police station at Edgworth is now closed, but the number of community beat managers and PCSOs working in Darwen has not changed – they simply work from the community base in the town hall rather than Edgworth itself.

“The officers have 4x4 vehicles to access the area, and two PCSOs are specifically tasked to the rural areas.

“Our policing response has to be based on risk and threat and where we identify a threat, appropriate resources are put in place to mitigate this risk.”