A man has been charged after three bicycles were stolen from Watford town centre.

Janis Sostaks, 28, of no fixed address, has been charged with three counts of theft of a pedal cycle and one count of going equipped for theft.

It came after CCTV operators from Watford Borough Council alerted police to two men acting suspiciously in Charter Place on the morning of Wednesday, October 11.

Officers attended and made an arrest, before recovering three sets of pliers.

The charges relate to the theft committed between Sunday, October 8, and Tuesday, October 10, police revealed today (October 17).

Sostak has been released on conditional bail and is due to appear at St Albans Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, February 6.

On Thursday, October 12, officers arrested another man on suspicion of drug offences.

When he was stopped by police, the man was found to be in possession of a bike, which was determined to be one of the three stolen earlier in the week.

It was seized and later returned to its owner.

Inspector Dan Jones, who leads the Watford Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: “This result is a great example of Watford’s Community Safety Partnership (CSP) working together to reduce crime and make the town a safer place.

“Watford’s CCTV operators are very important members of the CSP as they support us in closely monitoring the town for suspicious activity and/or crime in progress; they’re our extra pair of eyes.”

Watford mayor Peter Taylor thanked the CCTV operators and the police for their “great partnership work”.

He added: “Our council-funded CCTV network helps keep residents safe and assists in identifying and apprehending criminals.

“Thanks to their quick thinking, a resident has been reunited with their bicycle."

The mayor continued: “I am proud of the partnership work we undertake with the police as part of our ‘Safer Watford’ initiative and events like this underscore how important this work is.

“We're committed to reducing crime and ensuring Watford remains a safe and welcoming place for all.”