Being gassed (1 Viewer)

K8inspain

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I hear and read many claims regarding people being gassed & robbed in their vans on aires and other stop overs. It always seems to be "friend of a friend" information, and on this forum meets with a certain amount of (justifiable?) derision :Smile:
So my question is - is there anyone out there who has actually experienced this first hand?
 

froghopper

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gassed,

i like yourself have never heard of any one , other than as you say, i have spent years on the road, 3/4 weeks a couple of times a year, never stop on motorways, but aires, waste ground industrial sites at weekends, abroad this is, continental trucker for 25 years, from 1962, spain, greece, italy, always slept in cab,,, importantly in that time must have shared a chat with hundreds, maybe thousands of people, 3 years ago spent 3 weeks wild camping in croatia, never a problem,, so no, no evidence, i do run a ratchet strap between both front doors, and have a good bolt on rear door, most important, i have a good look round the area,,if you went on a site and a couple of gypsy vans parked next to you, would you stop,, or in the middle of any down town area,, sorry to go on, but just thought any newbees might read this,, when you stop, bet you always sit and have a drink, a good time to get the feel , step out, look around,,, you will know,, but gassed, the nearest i ever came was after that extra double size huge portion of curry,,,, was charged with self in flicted injury ,, take care, travel safe :thumb::thumb:

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froghopper

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worse danger than gassing , honest

this is a true story,,it realy is,, has any one been to lille, in particular the cittadell,, if not, its a fbulous area close to town, lille stadium, a zoo, childrens play area, cycle tracks , you name it, surrounded by both a river and a canal, the road has trees along its edge and you back in and park,, well we visited many times, always a nice mix of campers to chat to,, and to eat, well one night about 2 years ago we decided to stay the night, no parking charges even in daytime, so we padlocked our traile to a tree, (had bikes etc) and settled down for evening,, then it struck us,, no one l else,, surley a place this good the dutch know about, well then a car stopped, drove on, then another,,ah a red light area? no girls,,by now its 10 30 ish, and very very hot, so am sat just in boxers,, more cars, stop, face to face, flash lights, then move,, now i see it,, dogging or the like,, well by this time , lady has gone to bed,, me, curiious, so stept out to look, still only boxers, well bees, honey pots, they appeared from no where, i was surrounded, by what, by who,,,, by bloody gays,, now i have no problem, but not me, honestly they were touching me, that trailer was hooked on, my lady in bed still and i drove off like a mad thing,, she nearly wet herself larfing,, this is true, honest :Blush::Blush: never been so scared in my life,, no wonder there was space,
 

meanders

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We are curled up here. Just proves there are bigger risks than being gassed! :ROFLMAO:
 

dellwood33

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"worse danger than gassing , honest "

:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

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Jaws

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I was a believer for a long time
Then after speaking to various folk I started to doubt..
Then asking people who really DO know I am personally of the opinion it is a complete load of bollox.. probably used as an excuse by folk who are partial to a wee dram or 3 and have lost their wallet in a drunken state the night before

As other will ( and have ) said, it would cost more in gas than a thief would get, the thief would have to carefully measure the van, work out the volume, and pump in a precise amount of gas for it to work and not actually kill you !!

Apart from anything else I think you might hear folk crawling around both on the roof and under the van blocking up holes !!
 

dellwood33

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The noxious gas detectors that you see for sale ? How many have those fitted - they seem an expensive option to a non-existant problem :Smile:

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this is a true story,,it realy is,, has any one been to lille, in particular the cittadell,, if not, its a fbulous area close to town, lille stadium, a zoo, childrens play area, cycle tracks , you name it, surrounded by both a river and a canal, the road has trees along its edge and you back in and park,, well we visited many times, always a nice mix of campers to chat to,, and to eat, well one night about 2 years ago we decided to stay the night, no parking charges even in daytime, so we padlocked our traile to a tree, (had bikes etc) and settled down for evening,, then it struck us,, no one l else,, surley a place this good the dutch know about, well then a car stopped, drove on, then another,,ah a red light area? no girls,,by now its 10 30 ish, and very very hot, so am sat just in boxers,, more cars, stop, face to face, flash lights, then move,, now i see it,, dogging or the like,, well by this time , lady has gone to bed,, me, curiious, so stept out to look, still only boxers, well bees, honey pots, they appeared from no where, i was surrounded, by what, by who,,,, by bloody gays,, now i have no problem, but not me, honestly they were touching me, that trailer was hooked on, my lady in bed still and i drove off like a mad thing,, she nearly wet herself larfing,, this is true, honest :Blush::Blush: never been so scared in my life,, no wonder there was space,


:Eeek::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
Thanks for giving me my first giggle of the day. I can just picture the scene!!
Bev
 

dazzer

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Everyone seems to forget the other problem with gassing which is the explosion risk.

The gas used is though to be nitrious oxide (laughing gas used at the dentist) which is highly flammable and explosive in any sort of concentration. It is also much heavier than air and will sit low down in the van (pouring out of the ventilation grilles!!!).

The pilot lights for the fridge, water heater and blown air would ignite it on contact.

As also mentioned the cost of the gas (which is very hard to get in any sort of large quantity anway) is around £350-£400ish per litre :Eeek:. Do the sums, kicking in the door and holding a knife to your throat is much cheaper :winky:
 

savantuk

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I've posted this several times. It is the definative answer.

Such is the confusion over the subject that we decided to enlist the opinion of reader Dr Gilbert Park, Consultant in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, in Cambridge. We asked him to tell us, using his professional experience, whether he believed that gas attacks were possible or, indeed, likely.

Dr Park says that "according to the media the incidents are increasing. The occupants of motorhomes are being rendered unconscious by narcotic (sleeping) gases being sprayed into the vehicle before the occupants are robbed.

"The commonest narcotic gas available to criminals is contained in sprays designed to help reluctant vehicle engines to start. These contain diethyl ether, the same sort of gas used to anaesthetise humans for medical operations.

"Other gases, such as propane, may also be used but these are not narcotic. They replace the oxygen in air thereby suffocating the vehicle's occupants.

"When I was training as an anaesthetist, many years ago now, I was taught to use ether to put healthy humans off to sleep for surgery. It is not easy. Ether is a pungent vapour that causes coughing and irritation of the airways.
It is also very slow to act. Even when holding a mask over the patient's face, minutes would pass before they went to sleep. During the phase of going off to sleep there can be a period of excitement when the patient might become very restless. Because of these and other difficulties, ether is no longer used and has been replaced by other anaesthetic drugs.

"It is difficult to believe that a concentration of ether sufficient to put somebody to sleep, could be delivered by spraying the gas into a motorhome through a ventilation plate. However, it might be possible to make an occupant more sleepy than normal by using a low concentration of ether, especially if they are tired after a long drive, or possibly after a nice glass or two of red wine.

"If a robbery were to be discovered, the pungent smell of ether would still be present and could not be missed. Interestingly, few of the reports I have read mention this. But if it is used and the driver has been sedated then they probably shouldn't drive for 24 hours afterwards in order to allow the effects to wear off completely - just like being given sedation in hospital.

"So, do I think the risk of being anaesthetised, or suffocated, is enough to make me buy an alarm? No.

Will I fit one to my 'van? Yes. Why? Because ether, and the other gases, are highly flammable. Ether fires are terrifying and I would like to know if someone were spraying this into my motorhome.

Every month, the pages of magazines contain three or four adverts for gas detectors, to protect against such a problem. Furthermore, criminals probably don't read Practical Motorhome and may still believe they can anaesthetise us with an ether spray.

An alarm might just frighten off these would-be attackers."

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The Wallace

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Dazzer, whilst I totaly agree that a knife is cheaper I wish people would stop claiming that pilot lights will ignite gas in a modern motorhome other than the gas they are meant to ignite.
All the pilot lights you mention are in areas which are not normally connected to the inside of the van (if they were then they would be a source of carbon monoxide). The appliances mentioned draw their combustion air from outside and of course vent their exhaust outside.

The above does not mean that I think gassing is possible without killing some of the occupants of the van, merely that I dont want people alarmed by the thought that an internal gas leak will cause an explosion when it reaches the pilot lights of their appliances.
 

Norrie

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My mother in law was gassed in her motorhome in Austria during 2005.

Four other motorhomes were burgled at the same time on the same site. The Police said that it was the same method used on all vehicles - forced entry with occupants knowing nothing about it until waking very late the next morning. All the victims had hangover-like symptoms and some had watches and rings removed from their person.
The Police were aware of a Romanian gang being in the area every time there had been a reported incident (I have no idea how many previous reports had been made) and were actively hunting them.

She was 75 at the time and attends school reunions in Germany & Austria every year in her 1981 Transit-based motorhome. She's been doing it for donkey's years and - at 80 in April - doesn't plan to stop anytime soon.
 

Spacerunner

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Dazzer, whilst I totaly agree that a knife is cheaper I wish people would stop claiming that pilot lights will ignite gas in a modern motorhome other than the gas they are meant to ignite.
All the pilot lights you mention are in areas which are not normally connected to the inside of the van (if they were then they would be a source of carbon monoxide). The appliances mentioned draw their combustion air from outside and of course vent their exhaust outside.

The above does not mean that I think gassing is possible without killing some of the occupants of the van, merely that I dont want people alarmed by the thought that an internal gas leak will cause an explosion when it reaches the pilot lights of their appliances.

Pilot lights? What pilot lights?

Most modern gas appliances in modern vans use piezo ignition and have no permanent pilot lights.
 

Judge Mental

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The gas attacks are probably an urban myth but the robberies that go along with them are certainly not.....on the site we visit in Italy last year there where 4 sets of people who where robbed on the way down (sleeping overnight on motorways:Sad:) 2 caravans and 2 motorhomes. taliking to them, they where oblivious of the dangers and totally shocked by the experience.......
 

dazzer

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Pilot lights? What pilot lights?

Most modern gas appliances in modern vans use piezo ignition and have no permanent pilot lights.

This is true but not everyone owns a brand new motorhome do they?? :winky:

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The Wallace

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Dazzer,
I think by 'modern' in this context we are talking about post 1970 vans!
I have a 1990 built van and all the appliances are sealed off from the interior (except the hob!!).

Norrie, sorry to hear about your MIL. Can you provide a copy of the toxilogical report the hospital would have created at the time or a police report on the kind of gas used.
Anyone who suspects they have been gassed must seek medical help before driving further especially if they have been so far 'under' that rings could be removed.
 

Norrie

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Norrie, sorry to hear about your MIL. Can you provide a copy of the toxilogical report the hospital would have created at the time or a police report on the kind of gas used.
Anyone who suspects they have been gassed must seek medical help before driving further especially if they have been so far 'under' that rings could be removed.

All five groups were indeed taken for medical checks and the Police did issue individual official reports to facilitate insurance claims, but I most certainly cannot provide copies of either.
I didn't even ask to see them - I just believed her.
 

Wildman

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Dazzer,
I think by 'modern' in this context we are talking about post 1970 vans!
I have a 1990 built van and all the appliances are sealed off from the interior (except the hob!!).

Norrie, sorry to hear about your MIL. Can you provide a copy of the toxilogical report the hospital would have created at the time or a police report on the kind of gas used.
Anyone who suspects they have been gassed must seek medical help before driving further especially if they have been so far 'under' that rings could be removed.
My beast is 1981 and does have an internal pilot light on the water heater. There is also a catalytic heater. Hob, grill oven, yes plenty of naked flames.

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derekfaeberwick

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This is true but not everyone owns a brand new motorhome do they?? :winky:

Nor indeed a motorhome. The advice was quite obvious IMHO.


Getting back to basics though, I've been gassed all over Europe :Eeek:,about 50 50 it's been

on either:beer: or :wine:.
 

madbluemad

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I reckon its all down to a bunch of scousers, lets face it, everything else is. :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

Jim

:winky:

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The Wallace

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Don't know a lot of people who go to sleep with the hob, grill or oven on overnight!
Take your point about the old water heater though - isn't it about time you got it upgraded since it is more likely to gas (CO) you than any burglar?

The company I worked for in the yacht industry stopped making and supplying gas water or space heaters with open pilot flames around 1965 after a couple were gassed in their boat.
 

mickandalva

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Worse than gassing

this is a true story,,it realy is,, has any one been to lille, in particular the cittadell,, if not, its a fbulous area close to town, lille stadium, a zoo, childrens play area, cycle tracks , you name it, surrounded by both a river and a canal, the road has trees along its edge and you back in and park,, well we visited many times, always a nice mix of campers to chat to,, and to eat, well one night about 2 years ago we decided to stay the night, no parking charges even in daytime, so we padlocked our traile to a tree, (had bikes etc) and settled down for evening,, then it struck us,, no one l else,, surley a place this good the dutch know about, well then a car stopped, drove on, then another,,ah a red light area? no girls,,by now its 10 30 ish, and very very hot, so am sat just in boxers,, more cars, stop, face to face, flash lights, then move,, now i see it,, dogging or the like,, well by this time , lady has gone to bed,, me, curiious, so stept out to look, still only boxers, well bees, honey pots, they appeared from no where, i was surrounded, by what, by who,,,, by bloody gays,, now i have no problem, but not me, honestly they were touching me, that trailer was hooked on, my lady in bed still and i drove off like a mad thing,, she nearly wet herself larfing,, this is true, honest :Blush::Blush: never been so scared in my life,, no wonder there was space,
We were on Port La Nouvelle beach in October and we had same thing car after car with just a bloke in coming past us gawping at us? after a while I twigged on they were looking at ME not the other half I watched were they went and could see heads keep popping up in the dunes(just like Meerkats) after a while I got p****d off with it and run a couple with baseball bat..... no they did not stop coming so we cleared off bum intact.
 
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l take all this gassing nonsense with a pinch of salt! No proof-no belief!

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