In France’ after keys fell into lake
ACOUPLE are stranded in France with their baby and toddler after they dropped their car keys in a boating lake while on a pedalo.
Unable to drive to catch their ferry home, the young family have had to extend their camping trip in Brittany, but have no money to spend and have resorted to rationing food.
Angharad CarringtonEdmunds and her husband Jack have even had to cancel their four-month old daughter’s christening tomorrow, as they don’t know if they will be able to make it back home by then.
With the family car stuck in a French garage, their possessions and cash locked inside, the family still have no idea when they will make it home to Crickhowell.
They managed to convince Eurocamp to let them stay on at the Demains des Ormes Eurocamp campsite, just outside of Saint-Malo, while they sort out their predicament.
They were due to arrive back in Wales last Monday. On Sunday, the last day of their break, the family had taken a pedalo onto the boating lake at the camping resort.
“My daughter knocked the bag we had with us and suddenly we heard a little plop,” explained Mrs CarringtonEdmunds. “We looked over the edge and waited for something to surface.
“We could see the little bubbles rising.
“My husband looked at me and just said ‘you know what that was don’t you? That was the car key’.”
What should have been a quick-fix has turned into a nightmare as Mrs CarringtonEdmunds claims their insurance company, organised through Nationwide, had dragged their heels in arranging help.
Now, the 30-year-old mother, who is still breast feeding baby Betsy, said she was at “breaking point” and was left doing all the “leg work” in France.
On Monday, Mrs Carrington-Edmunds arranged for a French company to tow her car to a French garage, where it has remained, locked, ever since.
Luckily Eurocamp agreed they could stay on, but their season has now closed and all the onsite facilities are being shut down for winter.
Mrs Carrington-Edmunds even had to make a threehour round trip to pick up a hire vehicle to cover them in the interim, so they could at least make a trip to the local supermarket to get some groceries.
The family are trying to put on a brave face while they camp out in their caravan in the woods in France, but the stress is getting to them all, including their toddler, Evelyn.
They are trying to keep Evelyn entertained by making music instruments out of plastic bottles, but she knows things aren’t right and started wetting herself.
Mr Edmunds, who has his own window fitting business, has had to cancel jobs and turn customers away.
On Thursday, the family heard that work was due to start on their car, but they still needed a new key to be delivered from Germany. In all, it was likely going to cost around £500 and a few more days waiting it out.
“We are running out of money and we are afraid we are going to have this massive bill when we get home.”