France (1 Viewer)

[scotjimland]

All this fear of the immigrants is a bit like the gassing threads. Has anyone actually been "attacked" by the immigrants?

yes Joe..

maybe you missed this photo and thread http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/beware-at-calais.120344/

Migrant climbing onto the roof of a British motorhome on the approach to Calais port, trying to gain access via the rooflight then sitting the the kayak .
Reported by the owner who is a member of Facts

 

[John & Joan]

yes Joe..

maybe you missed this photo and thread http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/beware-at-calais.120344/

Migrant climbing onto the roof of a British motorhome on the approach to Calais port, trying to gain access via the rooflight then sitting the the kayak .
Reported by the owner who is a member of Facts

That area now has double wire fences with razor wire between. We came through to Calais port at 16:30 on Friday 8th April and saw a couple of police cars watching some people playing football on the old jungle area. We slept the night at the port parking and went through passport control at 05:00 for 06:10 sailing with a cursory passport check only and straight off unchecked anywhere. We had a quiet night.

That van was open to invasion with an open ladder to the roof and rack to help them up..

 

[busby]

yes Joe..

maybe you missed this photo and thread http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/beware-at-calais.120344/

Migrant climbing onto the roof of a British motorhome on the approach to Calais port, trying to gain access via the rooflight then sitting the the kayak .
Reported by the owner who is a member of Facts

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[busby]

That photo was 2013,,,,BUSBY,,,,

 

[scotjimland]

That area now has double wire fences with razor wire between. We came through to Calais port at 16:30 on Friday 8th April and saw a couple of police cars watching some people playing football on the old jungle area. We slept the night at the port parking and went through passport control at 05:00 for 06:10 sailing with a cursory passport check only and straight off unchecked anywhere. We had a quiet night.

That van was open to invasion with an open ladder to the roof and rack to help them up..

indeed..

but I was replying to Joe who asked if they were like gassing threads.. and had anyone been attacked..

All this fear of the immigrants is a bit like the gassing threads. Has anyone actually been "attacked" by the immigrants?

 

[scotjimland]

That photo was 2013,,,,BUSBY,,,,

where did you get the date from ?

it was first reported in 2015.

this one is from 2014

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-100-miles-Britain-Calais-Channel-Tunnel.html


another from 2014

http://www.itv.com/news/2014-09-25/motorhomes-targeted-by-calais-migrants/


more recent 2015

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/58...-stowaway-UK-hiding-British-couple-camper-van

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[busby]

where did you get the date from ?

it was first reported in 2015.

this one is from 2014

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-100-miles-Britain-Calais-Channel-Tunnel.html


another from 2014

http://www.itv.com/news/2014-09-25/motorhomes-targeted-by-calais-migrants/


more recent 2015

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/58...-stowaway-UK-hiding-British-couple-camper-van

I apologise,,got date of Funsters joining date rather than posting date..must go to SUPERSAVERS,,,Blind BUSBY.

 

[scotzsue]

Hi there,
Can anybody tell me the best ferry port to avoid the migrant problem? obviously Calais is a no go.
Been on lots of websites but not a great deal of info.
Steve

Why a no go, have used the calais route for 8 years, no problems at all, no matter what time of day the travel is.

 

[DanielFord]

All this fear of the immigrants is a bit like the gassing threads. Has anyone actually been "attacked" by the immigrants?

Joe

Attacked, no, but extremely scary situation. Heading into Calais port, we were diverted off of the main motorway by road cones (possibly put there by the migrants) and came to a roundabout, and there were 100's of them, stopping the traffic. The French police (2 of them) were stood in the middle of the roundabout doing exactly nothing.
I refused to stop, and drove very slowly at them, with all the doors locked. We had them banging on on the side of the van and shouting and throwing stuff at the van.
Our daughter was 5 at the time and was hysterical. So a nice end to a pleasant holiday.
Which is why we will never travel through Calais again.

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[maison]

Attacked, no, but extremely scary situation. Heading into Calais port, we were diverted off of the main motorway by road cones (possibly put there by the migrants) and came to a roundabout, and there were 100's of them, stopping the traffic. The French police (2 of them) were stood in the middle of the roundabout doing exactly nothing.
I refused to stop, and drove very slowly at them, with all the doors locked. We had them banging on on the side of the van and shouting and throwing stuff at the van.
Our daughter was 5 at the time and was hysterical. So a nice end to a pleasant holiday.
Which is why we will never travel through Calais again.

Sounds scary!

We have never had a problem ourselves but have seen loads of would be immigrants on the side of the Autoroute.

They made no attempt to interfere with us but it made us keep moving.

 

[DanielFord]

Sounds scary!

We have never had a problem ourselves but have seen loads of would be immigrants on the side of the Autoroute.

They made no attempt to interfere with us but it made us keep moving.

Up until that point, I was very much in the "it will never happen to me" camp.
Now travelling with a young child, I can't risk it, and we quite like long ferry journeys, so no problem really. We just go to other ports.

 

[Stealaway]

Got back today via the tunnel. Stayed overnight at Cite Europe, four other GB vans there with us.
Drove round to the terminal at 09.00 and as usual no signs of any illegals. Although the passport guy did come out and check underneath after we told him where we had spent the night. I asked him how are they are going to know whether we are coming home or going on from Cite Europe. He said if they see a GB plate then they might just take that chance.
Before driving to Calais we spent yesterday in and around Dunkirk and Gravelines, the only signs we saw of the illegals was a large new camp, by the side of the E15 nearer to Dunkirk, a fair walk to the tunnel.

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[MR. FUSION]

Up until that point, I was very much in the "it will never happen to me" camp.
Now travelling with a young child, I can't risk it, and we quite like long ferry journeys, so no problem really. We just go to other ports.

A lot of people think it will never happen to them......then it does and they are completely unprepared!

 

[Kevan]

Came through tunnel
Thursday 18th April did not even see a migrant

 

[Steve101uk]

There are only a tiny number of accounts of motorhomes having problems with migrants. I am aware of about three over the past few years. You probably have more chance of being in an crash on the M2 than being harassed by migrants. I have been on the tunnel many times over the last three years, I have sometimes seen migrants wandering around and was delayed once last year due to a migrant on the tracks. Since the additional security at the tunnel I haven't seen any migrants around the tunnel. Driving in and out off the A16 I never saw a migrant and never had a hold up. The only change I made last year was not stopping at cite europe due to the increased numbers at that time. So my conclusion is, an awful lot of scaremongering puts people off their holidays. Like someone else said, this is becoming a bit like the gassing non issue, which is a shame because these stories really do put people off.

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[Deleted member 29692]

Yes, there are a few odd stories about British motorhomes having problems at Calais just like there are stories about pick pockets, vans being broken into, gassing, fake policemen and numerous other things.

If you were to react to, and change what you do, based on all the different scare stories you would never leave home. You'd spend all your time with the curtains drawn and a tinfoil hat on.

I don't know if any one does have the stats but I wonder how many British registered motorhomes have passed through Calais in say the last 2 years and how many of those have been attacked. I'd particularly like to see that figure expressed as a percentage and then compared to the figures for all the other things that could go wrong when using a motorhome.

 

[rita.scott2]

Came back via Calais last week. No sign of any migrants or trouble. High fences and lots of French police.

 

[Peter Sansom]

Starting to get a few at Dieppe now but only a handful not enough to worry about.

Is that ferry still run by the Italian co? If I remember it was yellow with a big cat logo on the side. It broke down with monotonous regularity...bit like the Condor ferry, Poole to St Helier

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[Peter Sansom]

Yes, there are a few odd stories about British motorhomes having problems at Calais just like there are stories about pick pockets, vans being broken into, gassing, fake policemen and numerous other things.

If you were to react to, and change what you do, based on all the different scare stories you would never leave home. You'd spend all your time with the curtains drawn and a tinfoil hat on.

I don't know if any one does have the stats but I wonder how many British registered motorhomes have passed through Calais in say the last 2 years and how many of those have been attacked. I'd particularly like to see that figure expressed as a percentage and then compared to the figures for all the other things that could go wrong when using a motorhome.

Agree with your sentiments. Does the tin foil hat ward off migrants tough?

 

[Peter Sansom]

Agree with your sentiments. Does the tin foil hat ward off migrants tough?

...though even!

 

[AnEnglishmanAbroad]

Stephen,

The propaganda about the migrant crisis is just that. Propaganda. We traveled several times in and out of Calais without any issues whatsoever last year. The media love the mythology. We are going again in two weeks. You will do the same and travel unhindered unless you are very, very unlucky.
Have a great trip.

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[Lenny HB]

Is that ferry still run by the Italian co? If I remember it was yellow with a big cat logo on the side. It broke down with monotonous regularity...bit like the Condor ferry, Poole to St Helier

It is Yellow, no cat, LD Lines which is part of DFDS, done about 10 crossing in the last couple of years (5 returns), never had any problems.

 

[scotjimland]

Stephen,

The propaganda about the migrant crisis is just that. Propaganda. ....

You will do the same and travel unhindered unless you are very, very unlucky.

so which is it ..

propaganda or luck.. ?

can't be both..

 

[Hymie]

11.10 Dover to Calais in the morning, currently sat in Canterbury park and ride.
Don'T expect any problems on the other side, will let you know if there are.
Shop and fuel up at cite Europe and then about a 3 hour drive before parking up for the night on a motorway aire, don't expect to get gassed either, will let you know if we do.
Will put the £2000 and the Rolex in a plastic bag and hide them in the water tank, any suggestions as to where to hide the iPad.

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[aztecannie]

We taking the Newhaven/Dieppe route in a few weeks. Bit alarmed to hear (Lenny) of Migrants around Dieppe....

However, travelling both ways in daylight, so hopefully be OK..

 

[gus-lopez]

I don't know if any one does have the stats but I wonder how many British registered motorhomes have passed through Calais in say the last 2 years and how many of those have been attacked. I'd particularly like to see that figure expressed as a percentage and then compared to the figures for all the other things that could go wrong when using a motorhome.

One is too many .

A lot of people think it will never happen to them......then it does and they are completely unprepared!

Exactly , Far better to be suited & booted & no one to shoot than to be caught unprepared.

 

[Steve101uk]

The vast majority of people are reporting no issues at all. One or two are just intent on maintaining the fear.

Your going to France! All usual sensible precautions just as you would in the UK is all you need.

Have a great holiday as I will soon......

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[MR. FUSION]

The vast majority of people are reporting no issues at all. One or two are just intent on maintaining the fear.

Your going to France! All usual sensible precautions just as you would in the UK is all you need.

Have a great holiday as I will soon......

This forum only represents a tiny minority of motorhomers.

 

[Peter Sansom]

We taking the Newhaven/Dieppe route in a few weeks. Bit alarmed to hear (Lenny) of Migrants around Dieppe....

However, travelling both ways in daylight, so hopefully be OK..

Pack the blunderbuss, take no prisoners!

 

[MR. FUSION]

Pack the blunderbuss, take no prisoners!

Not sure what the law of self defence is in France. Despite the BS, In the UK you can do someone quite a serious bit of harm in self defence if they are in or on your property!!!

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