Absolutely raging....furious in fact.

Private sites aren't necessarily safer. Some years ago my stepdaughter went to a Church youth camp with the expensive camping gear - single man tent, sleeping bag and Thermarest that we'd bought for her birthday. Someone took the whole lot - just unpegged the tent and took it complete with contents. Fortunately the beg with her clothes was found in the hedge - they obviously didn't want anything too recognisable.

It was a bit special gillybob, but he took what he thought were sufficient precautions to protect the bike. Yes, you're correct, they were in the touring section of a big static site, not somewhere they would normally go but they were looking for additional activities for dgs and his cousin. They left a lovely CC site in Oxford to go there and are now wishing they hadn't. You have to be able to trust fellow caravanners-as you say you have heaps of expensive kit lying around from waste/water hogs to picnic tables and bbqs. Don't think they'll be repeating the experience. These big commercial sites aren't the best.

Sorry to hear about your sil's bike katek . I wonder if the thieving git person who took it recognized it as something a bit special or just saw the opportunity to make a few pounds?

I wonder, Was it one of those huge commercial (static) sites? Or a family touring park? I would be surprised if it were the latter as we leave all sorts of expensive kit in our awning and nothing ever gets touched. Proper caravanners always look out for each other.

Alidol your story reminds me of when my DD's father was alive. He worked on the railway and found a large, well stuffed wallet on the tracks. it had a fair few hundred pounds in it . (in the early 80's I could have lived like a queen for a few months as we had very little).

Like the honest man he was he handed it in to lost property and was given a receipt saying to come back in a month to see whether it had been claimed. He did return I was most excited only to be told that, no, it hadn't been claimed but as it was found on GNER property it belonged to GNER and he had no claim to it whatsoever.

I often wondered what really happened to it.

I'm sure I read something recently about police no longer taking in lost property? That could just be local to me, Bedfordshire, but in times of cut backs quite likely everywhere.

So sorry Katek for spoilt holiday some people are light fingered .I hope the police catch the thieves have a look on EBay

GS had his bike stolen just over a week ago right at the beginning of the hols, he put it round the back of the house well out of sight, but it went!! its hard to drum it in the kids to lock stuff up but yet they have to learn, but lets face it what 8 yr old goes and locks his bike up! yes when they lives round the corner they would leave bikes/scooters all sorts out on the front lawn and they were never touched...this was bright orange BMX style and of course no marks on it so if we did spot it we couldn't prove it..kids are so trusting they don't think people steal their goods.

My father-in-law was off on a pilgrimage to Rome from his home town in the South of Germany here. They had a large house with several flats and lived on the ground floor. He had saved up for a new bike for the long journey and stood it in the hallway while he went to collect his bags. When he came out, it was gone!

This was in 1926.

There are 6 houses in my cul-de-sac and several years ago everyone woke up to find that their cars had been broken into and their car radios stolen ..... all except mine! What was wrong with mine? I felt a bit insulted!!

Alidoll your ring story reminds me of when my DM lost her engagement ring in the street. She'd lost weight and it fell off her finger. Someone found it and thought it was one from a cracker because it was so sparkly, so she didn't think it could be the real thing! The lady's sister (or a friend) saw it and realised it was real, and hallmarked of course, and they took it to the police station. So, thanks to their honesty, my DM and her ring were reunited. It's something that she never forgot.

Remember some kids found a bag stuffed with money that had been pushed into a hedge as they walked to school (in the village I came from). There was nearly £3000 in the bag! Took it to the janitor as he was the first adult they encountered and he promised to hand it in to the police for them...

later that day they asked the headmistress if the police had been in contact..of course she knew nothing about it and janitor claimed the kids must have made it up as he also knew nothing about it. Fortunately the kids were very honest (and the head believed them) so she searched the boiler room and found the bag shoved down the back of the boiler. Thieving git was going to pocket the money himself!

Headmistress took the two kids along to the police station to hand it in.

Months passed and they heard nothing till a policeman arrived at their door and said as no one had claimed the bag, it was now theirs! Each kid received £1500 each. Most went into the bank but they did get two new bikes each so honesty does pay!

My brother also found a diamond ring at the beach once, again handed it to the police, no one claimed so he gave it to my mum when the police returned it.

I think you can also get your bicycle frame postcoded.

It's all foreign to me by the way. I had a Raleigh with Sturmey Archer gears and a dynamo light that lit/faded depending on how fast you pedalled.

It does have a number bags-details in pic for any bike aficionados-you never know, someone might come sidling up to you in a pub! Police are promising to come and see them on Thursday (when they leave) so not looking very promising at the moment.

Very honest Phoenix and so should we all be.About 25 years ago I was in the local town centre with DS aged about ten, and we found a £5 note on the ground.We took it to the small police station and handed it in.We were told to check back in a few weeks to see if it had been claimed.Small son very excited and hoping to have some extra money, we went back and it had been claimed the next day by an old lady who was very grateful to get it back.So sometimes people do check with the police when they lose money and are glad to get it back, you never know how much people need it do you?

All the trouble they cause and they won't get anything near the bike's true value.

Many years ago, when DS2 was in the 6th form, he had a job cleaning the leisure centre and setting up for the evening activities. He took my folding bike with him but when his dad collected him, he forgot about my bike. When he went back to look for it, it was gone for good. I reckon he still owes me a bike!

A custom built bike frame will have a number.

it's sad to think that "society" has gone this way. I remember a fair few years back exdh & I went to sit at a table in the garden of our local, and found a £10 note on the ground. I took it into the pub, and was told by the landlady that some friends of theirs (who were not exactly flush for money) had been sitting there, had come out for the first time in ages etc. Of course it may have been a load of old whatsit, but my first reaction on finding it was to hand it in!

Even more years back, when I was about 10, I found a cigarette lighter (well before the days of throwaway ones!) next to a bench. I took it to the police station and handed it in. As it wasn't claimed after whatever was the statutory time in those days, the police contacted me and said it was now mine! I seem to remember doing the same with a necklace, probably fake pearls but with a very pretty clasp, same thing happened and I was so proud of it!

Perhaps I was just a very honest child, and then (referring back to the £10 note) a very honest or gullible adult?

it happens all the time and sometimes people leave bikes which sit in lost property in our town for a year and are then auctioned off.
Did it have number?

DD2 and her family have bikes which they leave at the station or the picnick area, and 'best' bikes which they never leave unattended.
People don't respect property like they used to but then expensive things were not in show. Nobody had them

Thanks for tip Crun, will pass it on

Might be worth reporting it here, particularly if it has anything irreplaceable on it.

Hopefully not bags-they were already heading up to St Andrews on Thursday this week so last few days of hols should be more peaceful.

I'd be raging too, katek. How horrible! I hope it doesn't wreck the holiday completely.

Thanks for kind thoughts everyone. Sil has worked hard for his bike and it's such a pity that he couldn't take it to try out on different roads/routes without this happening. They're currently waiting for site management to check cctv tapes and police are due to visit later. He's also started a FB share as you've no idea how far afield you can get with your FB connections. At least he feels he's doing something. They've only been on this site since Thursday-had previously been on CC site outside Oxford but moved to bigger site for activities for dgs and weren't actually that happy with site before this happened. Cleanliness leaves lot to be desired apparently and DD found dirty nappy in shower.....yeuch.