Be careful when parking overnight

July 14, 2014

A UK couple on a month-long driving holiday were gassed in their camper van before being robbed on holiday in France. They had stopped for the night near a service station in Lancon de Provence in the South of France. They had various items taken including £500 in cash, bank cards, jewellery and their passports.

Police believe the incident was the work of Eastern Europeans who regularly target tourists in the area and they advised:

"They release a knockout gas through the vehicles air vents or windows and then rob the vehicle without anyone being none the wiser. Its been a problem for years."

The driver said: "Amazingly I didn't know anything had been taken until I needed my wallet the following day and we were 50 miles from where we had spent the night. It was only when we spoke to the Police that we were told that a number of people were robbed in the same location and it was common for thse crooks to travel around the South of France, gassing people as they slept and taking all their things."

As far back as 2007 it was an aknowledged problem, with the Foreign Office issusing a warning to tourists in France about the 'Riviera gas robbers'.

The team at Eurobreakdown always recommend staying on official campsites and avoiding parking overnight at roadside rest areas.

Author: Paul Quigley