A BIKE shed just half a mile from the Olympic Velodrome cannot be used by any more cyclists because the council has no keys for it and no record of who has.

The pristine electronic facility by Leyton Tube station was opened with fanfare in 2006 to provide residents with a secure storage space following thefts from another unsecured shed at the site.

Accountant Andrew O'Sullivan, 53, has been trying to get a 'smartcard' to use it since last November but, after months of making repeated requests, was stunned when the council finally admitted to him it had none.

It has emerged that the authority stopped issuing them in July 2011.

He said: “What annoys me is that the shed seems hardly used at all - yet there are always bikes chained to the railings outside the station getting in the way of pedestrians.

“All I want is a key, which is supposed to be supplied to residents - I'm not asking for much.

"It's ridiculous that you have the Olympic Velodrome, the world's most expensive cycle track, so close by but less than a mile away cyclists like me can't even access a secure bike shed".

He added: "It beggars belief that the council can mess up the management of a simple bike shed and having done so, can't even put it right in a timely and cost efficient manner."

Mr O'Sullivan, of Newport Road, was told by a council officer that the authority had no data about who had been given copies of the keys or how many there were.

The council reportedly said the company that made them had gone out of business and it did not know when it would be able to get any more.

Cllr Clyde Loakes, the council's cabinet member for environment, said: "We are looking to update our cycle sheds so that access to all three is available through the same system and so that we can better record who is using them and how often.

"Not only will this make things easier for cyclists looking to use these facilities, but it will help the council to do more to prevent crime and to better understand demand and use.

"Needless to say we are committed to encouraging cycling in the borough and with the 2012 Games looming, believe cycling is likely to be one of the more efficient means of getting about the borough."

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