But some of the structures are falling foul of the law and causing planning problems.

Cycling has seen record growth throughout the pandemic as people avoid public transport, but this has brought the problem of where to store your bike.

Now, councils in England are under pressure to change their planning rules to make it easier to have cycle sheds in front gardens.

It comes after a family in Leicester won a planning case to keep their structure after the council asked them to take it down.

BBC News has found other recent cases where people have been sent enforcement letters to remove bike sheds.

image captionThe Pujara family’s two children use their bikes to cycle to school

Kavi Pujara, 49, who built the shed with an eco-roof for his children in Leicester said cycle storage had become a major problem.

“We didn’t set out to set a precedent on this issue but I hope other cyclists can soon apply for planning for convenient, secure cycle storage,” he said.

In Scotland, the rules changed in April to allow homes to put up cycle stores up to 1.5m in height without applying for planning permission.

The Local Government Association, which represents councils in England, says the sheds should be “suitable and appropriate for their environment”.

Some councils are trying to remove the cycle stores because they are classed as an outbuilding or shed – and in order to fit national permitted development rights, outbuildings cannot be constructed in front of a house.

Once a council has written to a resident, they normally have 21 days to remove the structure, if not they could be liable for a fine up to £20,000.

Cyclists affected argue they often have nowhere else to store bikes, due to a lack of street provision.

In Kavi’s case, the mayor or Leicester was unhappy with the original decision to remove the shed and asked the planning committee to get involved.

By NFL

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