Moped crooks preyed on 24 victims in the space of an hour around Essex Road last night.

Police were initially called at about 5pm when a woman reported four people on two mopeds had stolen her mobile phone in Essex Road.

Officers were called to further incidents, and have since established there were at least 24 victims – none of whom was hurt.

The cops were eventually authorised to deploy a “stinger” tyre deflation device, which brought one of the mopeds to a halt. The suspects fled on foot but officers were able to recover the moped, which is currently being forensically examined.

A tweet from Islington Police’s official feed said the incidents happened in the space of an hour.

Det Insp Greg Coates said: “I am appealing for anyone who saw any of these thefts to contact police. I would also like to hear from anyone who may have filmed the offences on their mobile phones or dashcams to come forward.”

Of the stinger, he added: “Last night, we successfully deployed a stinger and were able to recover one of the mopeds. This is a new tactic that has been rolled out across London as part of our continued efforts to tackle scooter-enabled crime.”

Anyone with information is asked to call the Met’s anti-moped crime Operation Attrition base at Islington police station on 101.