Thieves raid caravans

Items worth hundreds of pounds stolen by culprits

A MUM has described how she feels “violated” after her family holiday home was broken into.

Lynne Shaw and husband Allan have had a caravan at Arbroath’s Red Lion Caravan Park for 16 years.

Items worth hundreds of pounds were taken when thieves struck at their caravan and two others.

The culprits climbed in through the bathroom window and then escaped by the front door, after unlocking it from the inside.

Lynne, 55, who is a carer for her son Ross, said: “Allan went up on Friday to shut the caravan down for the winter.

“The police and the caravan park management hadn’t managed to get in touch with us, so it was an awful shock for us to find out like that.

“We’ve been on the site for 16 years so it really is a home from home. It’s our wee haven so we feel we have been violated.

“They took three TVs, a Playstation, Blu-ray player, the vacuum, kettle, toaster — even our cutlery.

“They also took my camera, which has irreplaceable pictures of our eight-year-old granddaughter Kayla on it. They must have had a van to take all the stuff they did.

“It’s terrible. We are all gutted. It’s left us wondering ‘Why us?’ There are hundreds of caravans there.”

The crime was discovered after a site worker discovered an open window in another caravan. When police arrived they found other caravans had been broken into.

Allan, 61, a steel worker from Coatbridge, is in the process of trying to find a glazier to repair the damaged window.

Ian McCormack, managing director of the caravan park, declined to comment on the thefts when approached by the Tele.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: “We are appealing for information after a spate of break-ins to caravans at the Red Lion Caravan Park sometime between October 26 and 27.

“Three caravans were broken into and a number of electrical items, including TVs, DVD players and vacuum cleaners were stolen.”

Lynne and Allan Shaw are now counting the cost of the break-in.