Amsterdam city council has to fork out for replacement locks for 80 cyclists whose bikes were wrongly removed from the cycle park behind the city’s central station.

The bikes were due to be removed on June 2, because of renovation work and had been given a sticker warning the owners to remove their property.

But the work was brought forward and city officials stuck new stickers on top of the old ones, with the date May 26, and then removed the bikes.

But by law, bike owners have to be given nine days warning before their bikes can be cut free and taken into storage.

The owners can now collect their bikes free of charge and claim €50 per ruined lock, local broadcaster AT5 reports.

The maintenance work will add a further 1,000 bike park places to the deck.

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Column: stop city council bike theft