A BERYL bike was dumped in the River Allen in Wimborne, just days after it was reported that 100 of the initial 1000 bikes remained in bays.

The bikes aren’t available in Wimborne, and the nearest bay to the river is just under a mile away, by the Willet Arms Inn in Merley.

Andrew Hill, director of operations at Beryl, said: “The Beryl bike share scheme has clear terms and conditions as well as a financial incentive in place to encourage responsible use of the scheme.

“The river is quite clearly not a responsible parking location, so we can only apologise to local residents and Beryl users for any inconvenience.

“The bike was removed promptly by our on-street team shortly after we were informed of its location.

“We would encourage members of the local public to contact us directly with any concerns regarding the whereabouts of our bikes, so we can deal with it immediately. This can be done via the Beryl app or by emailing support@beryl.cc.”

A passer-by in Wimborne spotted the bike and posted in a Facebook group: “Hope the bike throw was caught on CCTV and the culprits can be caught and then made to get in the river and retrieve it.”

Since ‘hundreds’ of bikes were taken off the street for servicing and repairing, Beryl have said the numbers available were slowly increasing.

Phil Ellis, CEO of Beryl, commented: “Since Christmas, we have been working hard to give our bikes a thorough service to ensure that they're meeting all the necessary safety standards.

“The numbers of bikes available to hire have been increasing steadily as we bring the fleet back to full strength, ready for a busy spring and summer season.”