In total, 113,779 bike thefts were reported to the police in the Netherlands last year, a rise of almost 4,000 on 2014.

The increase could be because people are more likely to report the theft of their bike, a police spokeswoman told website Nu.nl.

In Groningen, there were 17.2 bike thefts for every 1,000 residents. Other student towns Maastricht and Nijmegen also had a high rate of reported thefts.

In absolute terms, most bikes are taken in Amsterdam. Last year 9,616 bikes were reported stolen in the Dutch capital, the equivalent of 26 a day or just under 12 for every thousand residents.