Service station robbery - not an urban myth

r4dent

r4dent

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We've just got back from 6 weeks touring Europe and I thought is time to remind everyone about problems camping on European service stations. I'd selected a Belgium aire for our first night, but when we arrived it was closed for refurbishment. So I found a place just outside Dunkirk where lots of local MH's were parked up and set up there. However, around 2000hrs I noticed that everyone was moving off and was told by one of the locals that the site was daytime only and mainly used by sea fishers. So we moved on again. At around 2130hrs we found ourselves on a motorway service station and decided to risk it. Bad decision!
I woke around 0900 the next morning to find the habitation door open and all our money, around £4k, gone (we spend a lot of time in Cuba where ATMs don't exist so we have a cash mindset!). They thieves also took our tablet computers which had details of our itinerary including contact details for a friend in Hungary. Fortunately, they didn't get our passports or credit / debit cards. The Police suspect that we were gassed, and by the damage done inside the van we know that they had knives.

So if you are going to Europe:-
- don't use motorway service areas (especially on the first night)

- don't take any more cash than you can afford to loss (Our insurance limits cash to £300)
- check out your alarm specification, I didn't even know we had a "perimeter only" setting which allows us to walk round the MH but sounds if a door / locker is openned.

Apart from that we had great time other than
- £200 of damage to my motorbike, a German backed his Motorhome into it and drove off

- the hailstorm in France that means the Motorhome need a new roof, some vehicles from the site are being written off.
 
I have family that were done over in Italy less than two weeks ago... in a motorway service station, very well lit, they asked at the shop if they had CCTV they were very friendly and confirmed they did spoke excellent English. Lots of flood lighting in the carpark, so they parked up next to the trucks in view of CCTV, under flood lights and everyone went to sleep feeling that they were in the best situation after a very long tiring drive (blowout on motorway).

1 Adult on the bunk above front seats head about 10 inches from the drivers door, then another adult on the pull out sofa behind the drivers seat with head about 6 inches from the door, two adults asleep in the bedroom. Theives tried to remove window seals and failed, so they picked the lock on the drivers door and got in, without waking any of the adults they took a pair of trousers from the passenger seat. No one knew anything until the trousers were missing when getting dressed in the morning. Cards and money from wallet and a mobile phone stolen.

They went into the shop and asked to see CCTV knowing it would have picked up something and suddenly the same night staff can't speak a word of English.

I suggested they have a "grey water leakage" in the forecourt, but they had already moved on ASAP.
 
New poster
Silly amount of cashj
The style the alleged story is told

Forgive my sceptism. And gassed

Channa
 
channa said:
New poster
Silly amount of cashj
The style the alleged story is told

Forgive my sceptism. And gassed

Channa
Click to expand...

Channa,

This is not an "alleged story". It is true and was intended to remind others not to make the same mistakes.
Sorry you don't like my writing style. I must admit that I don't like being called a liar by someone who knows nothing about either the event or me!

Yep, silly amount of cash but like I say we spend a lot of time in Cuba (living with Cubans, not in tourist hotels) and ATMs just don't exist and Credit cards are either not accepted or attract a 10-20% surcharge so we have a cash mindset.

"Gassing" is the suggestion of the local Police, they say this is the usual MO for this type of robbery.

By all means ignore this warning. Please camp on motorway service areas as often as you like, I hope you are luckier than we were.
 
As the police say you were gassed, how / where was the gas put into the van ? Only curios as have dealt with this type of thing on a few occasions in my work in travel insurance claims
 
r4dent said:
We've just got back from 6 weeks touring Europe and I thought is time to remind everyone about problems camping on European service stations. I'd selected a Belgium aire for our first night, but when we arrived it was closed for refurbishment. So I found a place just outside Dunkirk where lots of local MH's were parked up and set up there. However, around 2000hrs I noticed that everyone was moving off and was told by one of the locals that the site was daytime only and mainly used by sea fishers. So we moved on again. At around 2130hrs we found ourselves on a motorway service station and decided to risk it. Bad decision!
I woke around 0900 the next morning to find the habitation door open and all our money, around £4k, gone (we spend a lot of time in Cuba where ATMs don't exist so we have a cash mindset!). They thieves also took our tablet computers which had details of our itinerary including contact details for a friend in Hungary. Fortunately, they didn't get our passports or credit / debit cards. The Police suspect that we were gassed, and by the damage done inside the van we know that they had knives.

So if you are going to Europe:-
- don't use motorway service areas (especially on the first night)

- don't take any more cash than you can afford to loss (Our insurance limits cash to £300)
- check out your alarm specification, I didn't even know we had a "perimeter only" setting which allows us to walk round the MH but sounds if a door / locker is openned.

Apart from that we had great time other than
- £200 of damage to my motorbike, a German backed his Motorhome into it and drove off

- the hailstorm in France that means the Motorhome need a new roof, some vehicles from the site are being written off.
Click to expand...

Please be prepared for a lot of non believers about your story, the so called experts say it can not happen, so a lot of people believe them, all I will say is your not alone in this sort of thing happening. :drive: :drive:
 
Can believe the robbery. Don't believe the gassing. Looks like the local police deal in some urban myths too!
 
You seem to have had the holiday from hell. Thanks for the warning. We're off to Belgium soon. Your story wont give me any sleepless nights but it will remind me of how careful we need to be. Neither of us sleep particularly soundly when we're wild camping but it seems to be when the best laid plans go astray that people take more risks than they normally would.
 
Hi R4dent,

Yes I am another gassing sceptic but I am one who is happy to be proved wrong. May I ask what symptoms you suffered when you awoke the next morning and did you notice any strange smells. Did you have a funny taste in your mouth. Did the Police remind you that you should not drive for 48hrs at least after such an event.

Richard
 
You can add me to the list of gassing non-believers.

If we suddenly start to hear of people turning up dead in their motorhomes, or motorhomes exploding, then I might merely believe that some criminal has heard about the myth and believing it to be true, tried it out.

For those believers, the solution is simple - just install one of those propane alarms that are also marketed as KGD - knockout gas detectors.
 
Don't believe the gassing tale either as for leaving 4grand all in one lump ,somewhere where it can easily be found! What a plonker,you deserve to be robbed,did you leave a note on the door? Don't wake us up ,the monies on the table! :lol-049:
 
Next time leave a candle burning you're know if it was a gassing or not
 
Flyboy said:
Next time leave a candle burning you're know if it was a gassing or not
Click to expand...

And remember to set the Alarm, you know that thing that makes one hell of a noise and wakes everyone up when a door on the van is opened.:scared:
 
Well I will give the OP some credit for coming on here and giving a warning about how not to behave as not many would hold their hands up.

Unfortunately there are many who still believe in gassing even against medical evidence and the shear logistics of getting a tanker full of the stuff alongside and injected into the MH without blowing all and sundry to smithereens on the chance of finding a swag, which in this case was £4000, silly man :lol-053:
 
May be the Eastern European kiddy that crawled into the van and nicked his 4grand is a part time anesthetist in the school holidays !
 
We are turning into a bit of an unfriendly bunch. I see no reason to doubt the OP was genuine in his beliefs. It was also very good of him to hold up his hand to something that must have been a bit embarrassing for him and his motives are altruistic. I failed to give a guy the benefit of the doubt (as did others) the other day and we had mass hysteria and a closed thread.

Chill out people eh

Richard
 
OK its time you met Cyril

He's a usefull bloke to have around

Wheres your passport - Ah Cyrils got it , need a bit of money, ah cyrils got it

Cyril is a safe - bolted through the floor of the vehicle inside a cupboard with a pile of stuff on top

But you never call Cyril a safe, Just call it Cyril and no one will ever know.........

Rich

PS I can believe the robbery although carrying 4k in cash in europe is crazy , but not the gas bit, now being totally knackered and sleeping soundly I can believe. People wonder why my truck has grills over the windows.
 
I'm sure the OP is genuine in his beliefs, but as with others I'm sceptical of the 'gas' claim.

To start with, if anything, a motorhome may be less susceptible to a gas attack than say a family home - as motorhomes tend to have special precautions against gas specifically!

I've seen plenty of people that have had their tents burgled while they are sleeping in them.
A few the thief has been caught in the act and scampered, many they haven't.
If they can do it in the confines of a tent, then a motorhome certainly doesn't seem unlikely.
 
just cut hole in floor and put a cyril in that and just make sure when you visit cyril that you draw curtains
 
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