David,
A friend alerted me to your thread as he thought it may have been my house on the corner of Whatman/Bovill that they were looking at, which i supect it was. Interestingly, there is actually a push bike under a vespa cover, however, I do have a vespa too which is currently in with Sterling Motorcycles (since Sat) for repairs following theft and damage a few weeks ago. It was found a few days later minus wing mirrors and other items, along with the usual damaged ignition and broken seat lock. This was a repeat of a theft from last Oct and in both cases it was wheeled away and dumped near or off Garthorne. So, essentially, this is a current issue and i would agree that bike owners need to be aware as they clearly have notes of where bikes are and target them.
I would be interested in getting the bike number though as i have a crime reference with the police, so i will report it as i would agree that it is suspicious and a high chance to be those targetting the area.
Could you PM me with it.