Charity bike ride in memory of murdered MP Jo Cox was hit by thieves when it came to Milton Keynes

The 40 cyclists spent Friday night at the Milton Keynes Hotel on Kents Hill - only to find crooks broke into all three of their support vans in the car park.

Luckily their bikes had been locked in in a room inside the hotel by staff. But thieves stole cycle maintenance tools worth £800 from the vans, as well as damaging the bodywork.

"They drilled through the metal to gain access to two of the vans, then broke into the third without drilling. The damage was quite considerable," said team mechanic Richard Hudson.

"It was such a shame. We'd had a lovely day and thought Milton Keynes was a great place. Then this happens..."

Police are investigating the break-ins and will be looking at CCTV footage from the hotel car park.

The bike ride, called The Jo Cox Way, took five days and has so far raised more than £7,000 for the Jo Cox Foundation.

The foundation aims to forge partnerships to make a tangible difference on the issues the Labour MP was passionate about.

You can make a donation or read more about its work here.