Police thought fish van smell was ‘rotting body’

A FISHMONGER says police broke into her van causing thousands of pounds of damage – after mistaking the fishy smell for a “rotting human body”.

Amy Valentine, 28, got a call from a friend to say police cars were by her fish van, which was storing six empty containers and a large ice bucket.

But by the time she got there, police were watching a tow truck move the now damaged van off the road.

Ms Valentine said police had shattered the passenger-side window and smashed in the rear doors, bending the hinges so much the doors could not be replaced.

She said the police were chuckling as they explained they “decided to break into the van when they assumed the smell was a rotting body”.

Neighbours had complained about the van which had attracted flies. Police admit they broke into the van over “welfare concerns” on July 21 around 12.30pm.

Ms Valentine said: “By the time I got there, they had smashed my windows and ripped my doors apart.

“They said there was a swarm of flies at the front of the van, so decided to search it. All of them said they’d assumed there was a body inside.”

Ms Valentine , a part-time goalie, was playing football when she got the call and rushed to Chelmsley Road in Chelmsley Wood, Birmingham.

She had parked the yellow van there on the 19th after getting a flat tyre from work.

The fish vendor claimed that the police’s behaviour cost around £5,240 – £1,800 for the loss of the original van, £75 for paying the company who recovered it to scrap it, £2,800 for a brand new vehicle, a £200 recovery fee, a £20a-day impound fee lasting nine days, £90 on a recent tank refill, and a day’s lost earnings (£95).

A spokesperson for West Midlands Police confirmed they had received a call from a neighbour concerned by the swarm of flies attracted to the van by a strong smell.

They said police acted under the powers granted by Section 17(e) of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 to break into the van.

A spokesperson for the force said: “The vehicle was reported as being parked up for three days and officers forced entry because of welfare concerns.

“It was established there was nothing suspicious and the van was recovered.”

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