A bicycle-sharing service initiated by a Chinese company in Manchester, UK, has witnessed several incidents of vandalism and theft, media reported.

Mobike, one of China’s largest bike-sharing companies, launched its service in Manchester in June, in an effort to take a community-oriented approach for its first European arrival. Though the service has been welcomed by locals, nearly 20 incidents of theft or vandalism have been reported to police in the first 10 days of the scheme—including two thrown into a canal, the Manchester Evening News Reported on July 11.

According to the report, an incident captured on video by a resident in Ancoats shows several teenagers trying to vandalize a bike, an act criticized by many internet users as “despicable and barbaric.”

In response to the incident, Mobike told Thepaper.cn during an interview that they have noticed the reports, adding that most citizens in Manchester have used the service properly.

“Statistics show that local residents are fond of the service, and they prefer to use Mobike rather than local public bicycles. Though few uncivilized behaviors (targeting the bikes) occurred, most local users can take care of the bikes. We have also received great support from local authorities and police,” read the announcement from Mobike on July 13.

The incidents of vandalism have also led to heated debate on Chinese social media, with some doubting the locals’ morality, while most suggest that the new service may still need time to be fully accepted by the foreigners.

“When such incidents occur in China, we always draw a comparison between foreigners and us, criticizing ourselves for the lack of morality. But it seems that such things can happen anywhere, despite the country’s economic status,” a netizen wrote.

“I think we should not read too much into the incidents. Uncivilized people are everywhere; maybe some of the foreigners still need time to understand the scheme of the sharing system. The company and local authorities should work together to instruct the locals to use the service properly,” said another netizen.

Currently, there are up to 1,000 Mobikes in operation in Manchester.