Police investigating claims second home owners are ‘sending suitcases by courier’ to avoid detection
North Wales Police are investigating claims that second home owners are sending their suitcases of clothes via courier so that they aren’t caught travelling unnecessarily.
The Rural Crime Team said that people may be doing so because they do not want to be caught with luggage in the car if police stop them, a move they branded as “selfish and cunning”.
“Unbelievably we are investigating reports that people are sending their suitcases via courier with their clothes to holiday homes in Wales,” the North Wales Police Rural Crime Team said.
“So if they get stopped en route they are not found with them.”
Patrols have set up on all the major tourist routes into North Wales this wekend to ensure people are complying with Government guidance that has banned any non-essential travel during the coronavirus outbreak.
A North Wales Police spokeswoman said: “Our tourist attractions, mountains, beaches, pubs, restaurants, caravan, holiday parks and campsites are all closed
“We continue to urge people not to travel to North Wales and that in effect, the region is closed to visitors.
“Help us to save lives and protect our NHS.”
Police vehicles have been seen on the two bridges linking Anglesey and Gwynedd and on other major routes into the region.
However, the Chief constable of North Wales Police, Carl Foulkes, urged people not to overreact to what they perceived as second home owners moving to their area, warning that they may be there for a good reason.
He said second and holiday homes were being used for legitimate purposes by key workers.
“I know of some, where workers from utility companies are staying, for example,” he said.
“It’s important that people don’t try to take the law into their own hands.
“We have extra officers on patrol this weekend to ensure the rules are respected. Call us if you know of anyone breaking them, and we’ll look into it.”
‘Hands are tied’
Yesterday Dyfed Powys Police set up a check point on the A40 at Canaston Bridge and stopped every vehicle entering heading west towards Haverfordwest.
It came after David Simpson, leader of Pembrokeshire Council, said he wants visitors to stay away during the lockdown.
“It’s a problem especially felt in Anglesey, the Ceredigion coast and here,” he told the Western Mail.
“We’ve seen lots of people coming down and going to their holiday homes. We can’t stop them once they are in their holiday homes, so it’s got to be the police stopping them on the roads.”
Meanwhile, a Gwynedd Councillor warned that people would “turn vigilante” against those visiting second homes in Wales during the coronavirus lockdown unless something was done.
Gareth Williams, who represents Botwnnog in Gwynedd, told the BBC that feelings were running “very high”.
“I’ve got to say the police are working very hard, but their hands are tied… if they can stop them on the road when they’re on the way to the Llyn Peninsula then they’ve got the power to turn them round and send them home,” he said.
“But unfortunately the problem we’ve got is once they’ve reached their second homes the police can’t send them away.”
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Yeah, Mike Parker, this is really going to bring us together!
This is REALLY serious. Police should forget murder, rape, robbery, fraud, domestic violence etc to stop this crime of putting clothes in a suitcase and sending it to Wales. Now we can see the irrational tendencies of the xenophobic local Welsh giving full vent to their nastiness. Should people from outside Wales wear a special badge? Different coloured stars perhaps to show where they’re from? I think that one has been tried before somewhere. The jackboot tendencies of local police come out, they love it. The risk is minuscule. Only about 10% of those dieing with cv are dieing from… Read more »
There comes a statement from the IDIOT OF THE CENTURY. Nothing more to say.
What don’t you understand about ‘No unnecessary travel’. It applies equally to me, a Welshman living in Wales. If people feel entitled to flout that directive, and put the lives of others at risk, then they deserve to be punished. Let’s say a 45-year-old second home owner travels with his family to Wales and they are infected with coronavirus. They spread the virus, and then the man is rushed into hospital and intensive care. Let’s say that I, an older man, am also taken into intensive care. But there’s only one spare ventilator. Because the second home owner is younger… Read more »
Plain Citizen? More like prize knob! It is not only the tourist areas of Wales that are saying stay the f**k at your primary home, but all over the UK – including Scotland, Cornwall, Lake District, Peak District, Yorkshire etc. Is it that you have xenophobic tendencies yourself you dimwit? It’s not hard to fathom, you’ve been asked for several weeks now but people can’t seem to get it into their thick skulls. The police shouldn’t have to be stopping people, we should just be doing what’s right. The risk is not minuscule at all, the is an actual risk… Read more »
You keep trying to play the race card in order to justify anti-social or even criminal behaviour, and you keep failing. This is not ‘racism’, but anger at being treated with contempt. But, of course, you already know that.
Nice try (again).
You are an absolute fool. Totally agree with Bet Owen……”and the award of idiot of the century goes to Jacques(of the jackboots)..oops sorry my mistake…Its goes to quite simply the Plain Idiot Citizen”
I’ve never experienced racism like I did in North Wales when I was told that the locals were too Welsh and that the language was a waste of time. Add that to the sense of entitlement that many holiday home owners exhibit and you have the perfect cocktail for why people feel like they do. Why do you think so many countries wanted independence after World War II?
Why are thd Cornish, Devonians, Cumbrians, Norfolkians all up in arms about these selfish idiots then, not racist at all. Just commu ities fed up to thd back teeth of people hollowing out their communities
Completely agree with you Jonesy. My reply was set in the context of the original poster who essentially stated that it was xenophobic to stop people coming to Wales. I am only too aware of the problems faced elsewhere as I have stated so in previous posts. My answer? Ban holiday homes and tax landlords who rent out properties too. There is no justification for anyone to have a holiday home when it destroys communities nor should there be any justification to pay absurd rents for what is essentially somebody’s pension pot. Throughout Wales and beyond the problem is increasing… Read more »
Rent control could be brought in, until we get Indy. How about it Mr Drakeford?
Why did the local property owners sell to ‘foreigners’ or strangers? Greed.
Then having pocketed the cash they try and prevent people visiting. Mendacious and deceitful.
Why does no one try and and justify that action? Its indefensible that’s why.
It’s true that whilst hypocrisy does indeed exist many properties are also sold at auction houses outside of Wales. The Valleys are starting to reflect North Wales with streets becoming empty due to houses being sold in London. I’ve even met people from Devon wanting a house that they ‘may visit’ but looking for a safe pension pot in the Valleys. Rhondda Cynon Taf now has 4,000+ properties deemed empty. Is it all down to greed? Definitely in part but I don’t think it is as straightforward as you state.
I’m appalled that the police cannot order these people to go home if they manage to avoid the road searches and reach their holiday home. They’re the ones who will be complaining if their little Shangri-la gets torched once they’ve finally gone home. If they want to keep any good will they may have garnered from the sorely-tested locals in the past, it might benefit them in the long term to head home without delay. Locals won’t forget what’s been going on these last few weeks.
And that’s what’ll ruin tourism in Wales. The police can send people home . My friend has a caravan site that’s been in her family for generations. They’re getting falsely reported daily and the hate that’s being generated in a small community by this type of reporting is appalling. Responsible caravan owners have said they won’t come back next year because of the hatred they’ve seen in local social media sites towards them. It’s nothing to do with race, it’s journalists with an agenda taking advantage of this frightening situation.
Suggestion of a threat of reprisals? Let’s bite the hand that feeds us.
Bite the hand that feeds us? I’ve no doubt that whilst tourism is beneficial becoming too reliant on it causes major social problems as witnessed in cities such as Verona, Barcelona, Prague whereby local people are being frozen out. A large part of this problem is being driven by holiday homes and Airbnb properties thereby essentially killing the grassroots of the cities and by definition its identity. I have absolutely no problem with campsites and holiday parks per se but when people start demanding more such as marinas for example then it ceases to become a tourist industry and more… Read more »
These types of reports are generating anger in small communities when everyone is scared of this virus. You will get lots of shares and publicity for this. You will create hate that will last. You will affect tourism and the livelihoods of some people in Wales (my family and friends). Be balanced please, it’s really not helping and you’re doing a lot of damage.
I know where you are coming from, we have a motorhome and because we are retired we can go anywhere, anytime (within reason). We are living in Wales and choose Wales as a destination because it is beautiful. However, we are STAYING HOME because we respect our fellow human beings, and want to bring this situation to an end as soon as possible! Unlike so many ‘visitors’ who seemingly do not. The safety measures are in place for a reason. Sending suitcases separately, to avoid being detected breaking the law, is wrong on all levels. We are right to want… Read more »
Sounds to me as if an independent Welsh media outlet is succeeding in its remit to draw people’s attention to an unacceptable and exploitative situation, and that local people are drawing their own conclusions from it.It’s a shame that Covid-19 has negatively impacted on the livelihoods of those Welsh people who are involved in tourism, but Wales needs something other than tourism to earn a dollar — look at the damage it’s done.
Wales does need other methods of income but that is for another day. We need to protect the mental health of those established Welsh business owners who currently don’t have options and we need to protect them until there are. I’m going to sign off the debate but love to you all and your families. Diolch.
Exactly. Wales should build up it’s industry in the modern world, not continually hark back to coal in the valleys. A dynamic engineering and knowledge sector not requiring endless ‘green’ subsidy.
Every industry requires a ‘subsidy’ of some sort. How do you think the oil industry has survived for so long? I agree with you regarding knowledge and engineering but given the current climate Wales is perfectly poised to lead the green revolution. What hampers Wales is a can’t do mentality and interference from Westminster.