A disturbing new trend involving Edinburgh's Just Eat hire bikes appears to be taking place.
While there have been cases of the bikes being vandalised before, some people are simply abandoning them in strange places around the city.
While this may seem like to be an annoying but harmless prank, one particularly dangerous example has been spotted in Newington.
In what must have been a herculean effort, someone has heaved a Just Eat bike on top of a bus stop in Causewayside at the weekend.
It was spotted perched precariously on top of the shelter on Sunday, raising fears it could have toppled over on the busy street and injured a passer-by.
Maxine Hounsom posted online: "I have a real hate for seeing these city bike just dumped all over the city! But this is just ridiculous and so dangerous.
"I think if they aren’t being used for the correct use they should be removed! Anyone else feel the same?"
Other examples on social media show the bikes being dumped on verges.
The Just Eat bike station at Leith Links has had to be closed due to persistent vandalism.
In January, one bike was set on fire and abandoned in the city centre.
Hundreds of the bicycles are available to hire across the city using the Just Eat app.
A spokesman for Just Eat Cycles said: "The vast majority of people using the bikes are doing so in a safe and positive way. It’s unavoidable that occasionally some of our bikes are left unattended or returned incorrectly, which can result in users being left with an additional charge.
"All of our bikes are fitted with GPS, so while we can’t stop people from leaving bikes in more curious locations such as these, we are able to recover them safely so they can continue to be cycled as intended."
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