Just back from La Belle France and would like to pass on a warning re robberies.
We were victims late at night and my husband was in the caravan at the time.
About 11pm I was getting the bed down and my husband was down in the Toilet Block. It was a simple site in the Midi Pyrenees - one we have used for several years.Whilst he was out the door to the van opened slightly and I just shut it thinking that the breeze had blown it open.
A few seconds later I looked out of the van and there was someone in front of it - back towards me and my reaction was " you cheeky s.. doing that in front of my van " and shut the door again.
Then my husband came back and I thought no more about it.
I went down to the toilet block and he started getting ready for bed . Apparently after a few minutes [ he had taken his hearing aids out so his hearing was not quite as good as normal ] he heard a slight noise and felt someone was in the van - me of course he thought , then a couple of mins later turned round to see a guy going out carrying my husband's jeans !!
Needless to say he let out a yell - which I sort of vaguely heard but thought it was folk on the small Housing estate on one end of the Site.
I then reappeared to find him talking to the lady in the House next door who heard his yells and stuck her head out to find out what was going on [ I said it was a simple Site - nice and quiet ] Sh phoned the Police and when I was told that his jeans [ with car keys and Van keys attached to his belt ] said - Ah well I have a set - we are OK for the night.
How wrong could I be - the lowlife had got my handbag as well
The Municipla Police were helpful = took brief statements as to what we could think was missing and told us to go to the Police Commissariat in the morning.
By various phone calls my Credit cards were instantly stopped [ Daughter in UK did that ] my Phone was notified to Virgin and it was permanently blocked by it's IMEI number registered with them.
We finally got to bed about 2 am - thinking oh well - how do we get new kesy for car and van ??
Next morning woke up as usual - Husband got his shower and went for a walk round the Site just in case anything had been dropped in the man's haste to escape.
I put the bed away and got dressed - couldn't leave the van as it was insecure.
He came back with -----------------
his jeans - belt still on and keys still attached !! but the _5 note missing from his back pocket - even the cash was still there !!
Then the lady next door put her head out of the window to say the police had just phoned - they had my handbag and they thought that probably everything was in it !!
INCREDIBLE
So off we went to the cop shop - and cutting a looooooong story short all that went was _30 and £10 and my phone !! Even my camera was still there [ but smashed ] The credit cards were still there but bent and battered and one was actually in 3 bits. Seemingly my bag had been driven over in the road and then picked up by someone on his way to work [ he lived about 45 miles away ]
OH YES we were lucky. We know we were lucky.
BUT - our advice to everyone is - when you are in the van LOCK your door - petty thieving is becoming more and more prevalent.
On the way back a Municipal Site was done 1 night - 3 folk robbed - one had his canvas neatly cut so access was gained that way [ Dutch Campavan first time out with it - less than a week old ] the next had left the car unlocked [ an ex Police Officer ] and expensive walking gear taken and an elderly couple in a MotorHome with an unlocked door had money pinched.
It took a while for us to get over this - but you will never find me now with an unlocked door if I'm in the van.
We were victims late at night and my husband was in the caravan at the time.
About 11pm I was getting the bed down and my husband was down in the Toilet Block. It was a simple site in the Midi Pyrenees - one we have used for several years.Whilst he was out the door to the van opened slightly and I just shut it thinking that the breeze had blown it open.
A few seconds later I looked out of the van and there was someone in front of it - back towards me and my reaction was " you cheeky s.. doing that in front of my van " and shut the door again.
Then my husband came back and I thought no more about it.
I went down to the toilet block and he started getting ready for bed . Apparently after a few minutes [ he had taken his hearing aids out so his hearing was not quite as good as normal ] he heard a slight noise and felt someone was in the van - me of course he thought , then a couple of mins later turned round to see a guy going out carrying my husband's jeans !!
Needless to say he let out a yell - which I sort of vaguely heard but thought it was folk on the small Housing estate on one end of the Site.
I then reappeared to find him talking to the lady in the House next door who heard his yells and stuck her head out to find out what was going on [ I said it was a simple Site - nice and quiet ] Sh phoned the Police and when I was told that his jeans [ with car keys and Van keys attached to his belt ] said - Ah well I have a set - we are OK for the night.
How wrong could I be - the lowlife had got my handbag as well
The Municipla Police were helpful = took brief statements as to what we could think was missing and told us to go to the Police Commissariat in the morning.
By various phone calls my Credit cards were instantly stopped [ Daughter in UK did that ] my Phone was notified to Virgin and it was permanently blocked by it's IMEI number registered with them.
We finally got to bed about 2 am - thinking oh well - how do we get new kesy for car and van ??
Next morning woke up as usual - Husband got his shower and went for a walk round the Site just in case anything had been dropped in the man's haste to escape.
I put the bed away and got dressed - couldn't leave the van as it was insecure.
He came back with -----------------
his jeans - belt still on and keys still attached !! but the _5 note missing from his back pocket - even the cash was still there !!
Then the lady next door put her head out of the window to say the police had just phoned - they had my handbag and they thought that probably everything was in it !!
INCREDIBLE
So off we went to the cop shop - and cutting a looooooong story short all that went was _30 and £10 and my phone !! Even my camera was still there [ but smashed
] The credit cards were still there but bent and battered and one was actually in 3 bits. Seemingly my bag had been driven over in the road and then picked up by someone on his way to work [ he lived about 45 miles away ]OH YES we were lucky. We know we were lucky.
BUT - our advice to everyone is - when you are in the van LOCK your door - petty thieving is becoming more and more prevalent.
On the way back a Municipal Site was done 1 night - 3 folk robbed - one had his canvas neatly cut so access was gained that way [ Dutch Campavan first time out with it - less than a week old
] the next had left the car unlocked [ an ex Police Officer ] and expensive walking gear taken and an elderly couple in a MotorHome with an unlocked door had money pinched.It took a while for us to get over this - but you will never find me now with an unlocked door if I'm in the van.
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