UNCLAIMED bikes stored up by police are being offered to youths on an East Finchley estate as part of a community project.

Bike repair specialists are helping young people on the Strawberry Vale estate spruce up the cycles and make them road worthy before handing them over to the participants to keep.

The scheme has been set up by housing association Peabody Trust along with the East Finchley Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) and cycle training company Go By Bike.

Dozens of children have been attending the bike classes in the football court on the estate, and Police Community Support Officer Mahmoud Kassar said: “The kids seem to have loved it.

“A lot of them like to ask where the bikes have come from and what sort of crime the bike was involved in.

“But it is about creating links in the community. A lot of them see us as bad people, but this definitely helps build bridges.

“It helps keep kids off the streets and gives them something to focus on, as well as gaining a new skill they can take on in the future.”

Nathan Hawkins, a 20-year-old who has been taking part in the project, said: “I have been working on bikes my whole life, but it is something some of these kids have never done before.

“It is teaching them how to fix their bikes and they get something at the end of it, because a lot of them wouldn't be able to afford a bike usually.

“It is good for the community because it gets the kids knowing each other more and talking to each other.”

Most of the bikes have been confiscated from criminals or have been identified as stolen but officers were unable to trace the owner.

About 15 of the bikes, usually stored at Colindale police station, will be handed to the youngsters at the end of the maintenance course, and Marcus Ahmad, director of Go By Bike, said it offers a practical way for the groups on the estate to come together.

He said: “We often go around to youth clubs or estates with the project, and the kids love it.

“The most important thing is it gives them mechanical skills that they can use in future. When they first come here, they don't know even which way to turn a screw.

“It is re-educating them about how they can reuse things even if they appear broken, and they won't have to go out and buy a new bike just because the chain has broken.

“These kids don't have a lot to do, so it gives them a focus for a few hours, and when the bikes are finished, it gives them a great way of getting around to see their friends living in the area.”