AN OLYMPIC sailor's £2,500 mountain bike has been stolen during an international sailing event.

Silver and bronze Olympic medal winner Simon Hiscocks was taking part in the Skandia Sail For Gold Regatta at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy when thieves took his bike.

Mr Hiscocks, 36, of Fortuneswell, had locked the bike up with a cable lock between the academy building and the water but thieves managed to cut through it.

His fellow participants said the Regatta had been a taster for the Olympic sailing events in 2012 and 24-hour security was arranged by the Royal Yachting Association.

But Dorset Police said there has been an increase in thefts at the site and warned sailors to make sure their possessions are kept secure.

Mr Hiscocks was competing in the 49er events when the bike was taken.

He said: “I would always have thought it would be fairly safe there but these things do happen.

“We did have a lot of people about and it was open to the public.

“The padlock had been cut so it was not just somebody grabbing it and walking off.

“It was definitely premeditated.”

Mr Hiscocks won a silver medal at the Olympics in Sydney in 2000 and a bronze medal in Athens in 2004.

The golden yellow coloured mountain bike was provided for Mr Hiscocks as sponsorship from the British bike manufacturer and retailer Orange Mountain Bikes.

Before it was used by Mr Hiscocks the company provided the ‘top of the range specification bike’ for his fellow Olympian Paul Goodison.

Mr Hiscocks added: “I would not have said that area where it was stolen is an unsafe place at all or that there is a big issue of the theft of items from there.

“But it’s inevitable that these things happen occasionally and it’s very frustrating.”

John Tweed, chief executive of the academy, said that overnight, uniformed security and CCTV was in place for the regatta.

He said: “It is regrettable but it’s difficult to say what more could have been done really.

“One of the problems we have is we’ve got a lot of access points to the site and during the major events we do have security at those accesses but it appears the bike was still stolen.”

Sergeant Yvonne Beven, from the Portland Safer Neighbourhood Team, stressed the bike was cable locked and stood against a trailer.

But she warned other sailors to protect themselves against theft.

She said: “ We would like to remind people to maintain security of their items when they are sailing.

“We’ve had quite a few more thefts there as people that come here to do sailing have been leaving rucksacks lying around.

“People need to be mindful of leaving expensive items when they are on the water.”

“It would have been very busy with the Sail For Gold Regatta going on but if anybody saw anybody with this bike please get in touch,” she added.

She asked anybody who may have seen anyone with the bike anytime from Saturday afternoon through to Sunday morning last weekend to call her on 01305 222222.