Leeds nostalgia: £2 fine for two-wheeled rampage back in 1946

John Leech, 20, a merchant seaman, of Peel Street, was fined £2 and £1 costs for stealing the bicycle from Police Constable Peakman, while E Stenchion, 24, a warehouseman of Ambler Street and Patrick McIntyre, 29, a pit hand from Borough Road, were fined £2 plus costs for receiving the bike, knowing it was stolen.

It was stated that PC Peakman had left his bike up against a wall while he went to check on a fairground on Bradford Road but when he returned five minutes later, he found the bike missing.

It was eventually recovered from a nearby house but was in a sorry state, its tyres slashed and lights broken off.

In court, Leech admitted taking the bike and said he thought it would be a good joke, adding he was drunk at the time.

However, the prosecution said he threw several items at members of the public as he rode around on the stolen bike, including one of the lamps and a chunk of concrete, which he lobbed through a woman’s house window before cycling off.

On February 28, the first of the major post-war housing contracts for Leeds was approved. It went to N B Bell and Co Ltd and was for the construction of 2,500 dwellings at a cost of £3,124600.

Meanwhile, the Government was set to approve the building of 2,000 ‘pre-fab’ houses in Belle Isle, Seacroft, Ireland Wood and Low Farm estate. The average price of the pre-fabs was £1,262, compared to £1,221 for traditional brick houses.