Wigan family's holiday plans in tatters after thieves steal £25k motorhome

Lesley and Matthew Scapens were looking forward to going to Cardigan Bay this week and travelling through Wales with their family.

But their dream holiday was ruined when thieves stole the £25,000 vehicle from their driveway in Ashton in the middle of the night, even moving a van parked behind it so they could get to the motorhome.

The family had bought the 2009 Ford Transit with Eura Mobil coach just four weeks earlier and filled it with everything they would need for the holiday, from toilet rolls to wetsuits.

They used it for a short trip to Yorkshire, but were looking forward to a longer jaunt through Wales.

Lesley, 45, said: “It was a big investment and our family’s way of going out and having fun. It was a big adventure and so we stocked up on everything.”

But Matthew, 42, got up for work at 6am on Wednesday, August 5 and discovered the vehicle was missing.

CCTV footage from a neighbour’s house shows a group of up to five people moving Matthew’s VW Transporter van off the drive and then pushing off the motorhome, before driving away in it.

No damage was caused to the van, leading the couple to suspect a burner key was used by the thieves to get inside.

The theft has been reported to the police, though the family said they were disappointed that officers had not visited to view CCTV footage and check for fingerprints.

Images of the motorhome have been shared widely on Facebook in a bid to track it down.

But it has still not been recovered, leaving the family heartbroken.

To add insult to injury, inside the van was a teddy their 23-year-old son Danny had given to his daughter before he died in October.

Lesley said: “I put it in the motorhome thinking it’s a piece of him that’s coming with us and it’s gone. My granddaughter calls it her daddy bear and she wants it back, but she can’t have it because it’s gone.”

Lesley believes several other motorhomes in the area have also been stolen lately, with fears they are being targeted by thieves.

Police confirmed they had received a report of the motorhome being stolen and anyone with information about what happened is asked to call them on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.