# Customs tip van upside down



## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

Mmmm

Not best pleased. Customs at Mulhouse/Basle have gone through the van with a toothcomb. Everything out of the underfloor area, garage poked about, every cupboard inside, even the cooker and fridge. They have even had a poke in my smalls!

They were particular keen on asking whether the van was rental or owned and I was asked this several times by upto five customs officers. 

It took me ages to pack everything away maximising space and now it looks like a bomb has gone off. No point tidying up though as no doubt Calais will want a look at the weekend. 

I must admit though I have never been stopped before. 

I will say that on the way down I was stopped at the Belgium/Luxembourg border too, but then waved through. 

Russell


----------



## asabrush (Mar 3, 2008)

I feel for you Russel,I've lost count of how many times the French customs have stopped and searched me,first couple of service stations out of Spain,Montpellier peage where the worst for me.

Was stopped n searched just West of Besancon also,as the dogs were sniffing my stuff,the sump fell out of my landrover and covered one of the nice fellows in oil and gunk,he wasn't too pleased!! Neither was I mind you,I was stranded for days....


----------



## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Do you know what they were looking for Russell ?

The last time we were searched was at Harwich when we came back from Denmark with 2 small, incontinent children and having had no time to do the washing before we left Esbjerg. The customs lady put her head into the locker with smelly bedclothes etc in it, turned pale green and left us severely alone.

G


----------



## some-where-in-oxford (Apr 18, 2006)

I wonder if the smugglers are now posing as holiday makers, rather than just filling up a white van?

Someone I know got stopped with a transit van full of booze and tobacco, he got 18 months I think it was, and according to the press over £100,000 bill from the vatman. Turned out he had made more than one trip and on this occasion was stopped.


----------



## greenasthegrass (Oct 27, 2007)

You have those terrorist tendencies and you've let em show again lovey! Once was burgled and they went through me knicker drawer - I felt violated!

Ask GerryD about being scanned.

Greenie


----------



## bognormike (May 10, 2005)

Russell - sorry to hear of that.
Could the reason you were stopped be that you are not the regular camping-car owner - how shall I put it - er - a young(ish) single bloke driving a large expensive british registered 'van, and why is he out & about this time of year?
If it was a couple of "older" camping car-istes like myself & Viv they probably wouldn't give us a second glance.


----------



## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Customs*

Grizzly - I asked them what they were actually looking for, but the lad said "anything".

I will say that they were very polite etc, and spoke good English, but it just seemed a waste of thirty minutes to me. Of course whilst I was in the parking/searching area, all the other motorists were having a good nose.

One of them even climbed on the roof and another looked the the Thetford locker.

I think they were puzzled though that I had a sack of dog food in the garage and no dog on board.

Mike - that is a fair point. In some of my other journey reports I have mentioned that I have been asked to prove ownership of the van, both at Dover and Calais.

Russell


----------



## 96299 (Sep 15, 2005)

*Re: Customs*



Rapide561 said:


> Grizzly
> 
> One of them even climbed on the roof and another looked the the Thetford locker.
> 
> Russell


Did he go right onto the roof Russell? I wouldn`t be best pleased about that if he did,he might have caused some damage and certainly would have put dents in the roof whilst up there. 8O

steve


----------



## AndrewandShirley (Oct 13, 2007)

For some strange reason we have been stopped in both MH and whilst tugging each and every time we have left the UK. But the same does not apply when entering the UK.

The last time, they were very good and explained what they were looking for and the did not leave any mess after Shirley just blocked the door and said, "I trust you are not going to leave it that way are you?"

When we went over for the world cup 2 years ago, we were stopped in Belgium, Holland and twice in Germany all "routine". To be honest it was more interesting than some of Svens team selections!!

We are off on Friday for the Christmas markets and will again get to the tunnell early in time for the search.

We think our names have got a red mark against them.


----------



## Andysam (May 10, 2005)

Don't get paranoid. I know a thing or two about searching. If it took 30 mins it was a standard search to reveal naughty things. A small car can take 3 hrs.


----------



## JacSprat (May 26, 2006)

Pain in the a**e Russell. I get stopped every single time I come back from the continent (which is rather often). Youngish woman with small winsome terrier must set off criminal alarm bells. Last time I came through, they went through all my pet passport stuff THREE times. This was particularly unwelcome on the 4am crossing. Must say though, the British customs people are a hell of a lot more polite about it all than the Americans. Even before 9/11, when I used to go down with mates from Vancouver to do some shopping in Washington State, it was often terrifying at the border. Regular gestapo.


----------



## tuftey (Nov 21, 2008)

we got turned over in spain after a tooll booth the 1st time we went over on our way home on a sunday yes they thought it was a commercial ven not a camper cos the windows were on other side of them we went through x ray and everything


----------



## Mat7 (May 15, 2005)

JacSprat said:


> hell of a lot more polite about it all than the Americans. Even before 9/11, when I used to go down with mates from Vancouver to do some shopping in Washington State, it was often terrifying at the border. Regular gestapo.


Tell me about it!
Coming back from Florida with my over stuffed carry-on bag the custmoms lady was struggling with the zip - i instinctivly went to help her and was greeted with drawn batons and "STEP AWAY FROM THE BAG!!!!"

Once through customs i laughed my socks off!

Hey ho no one can go over the top like them!

cheers
Matt  :lol: :roll:


----------



## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

I wonder if some of the searches are done with MHF in mind? 8O 8O :? 

Not specifically MHF of course, but everyone who gets stopped has a bleat about it to his/her mates, so word gets round and it discourages most "normal" people from loading up with too much booze and ****. 

Crafty way for the Customs people to get the job done, I'd say.


----------



## Snelly (Aug 20, 2005)

I wonder if you have been flagged as you have taken the cross channel crossing quite a bit lately. I know everything is computerised now, passports, vehicles, all watched in and out, logged on the system.

OR

Its because you have a camos fitted... told you to go for a KVH! :lol:


----------



## eddied (May 9, 2005)

*French customs*

 Ciao Russell, it is a bit of a pain - been there several times, got lots of too small Tshirts.
I think what it is, is that they get bored in the winter months, not a lot to do. Secondly, a single bloke in a motorhome (Donna C doesn't do winter travelling) seems to look suspicious. If I decide to come to UK for the next
NEC show in Feb. I think I'll carry a big unmarked bag of bicarbonate, and stand back and see what happens!. :lol: 
saluti,
eddied


----------



## SpeedyDux (Jul 13, 2007)

Russell, I got searched at Portsmouth docks - looking for illegal immigrants, apparently.

Never mind that finding a hiding space in my little Westy would be quite a challenge for an immigrant. In the tiny wardrobe? Behind the rear seat? 

Oh well. :roll: 


SD


----------



## pneumatician (May 1, 2005)

*French Customs*

We were stopped just north of Troyes. Early in the morning very quiet road and this Guy oncoming flashes me, I check speed 130 all OK. Sure enough pass a Police car hiding on an emergency exit. Look in my mirror and he is following me. Pur Quio ? Next he overtakes and his roof light says follow me in English. We are pulled into a service station and given the full "Customs" treatment finishing by being X-rayed by a big machine. We found it very interesting, the customs staff polite and friendly. They said they were looking for Booze and ****.
Didn't find my two cans of Boddingtons that had sat in the boot for a month.

Steve


----------



## ChesterfieldHooligan (Oct 26, 2008)

:lol: Hi again we have been stopped at the French border at Irun everything out and I mean everything out 2 hour's crossed the border into Spain and everything out again when asked why the Spanish did this they replied the French must have thought something was wrong so they had a look 4 hour's wasted for nothing 2 searches 200yard's apart !!!! had to laf afterward's :lol:


----------



## Pusser (May 9, 2005)

You should have used the pongy loo trick. Worked for me. Never seen customs move so fast.

I have only been stopped for a search once by French customs in a motorhome, once in a car when it was virtually taken apart in Dover and once at Heathrow Airport when I was stopped by customs even though I was not a passenger and ended up with a 10 year stint. Appeal court in London overturned the fixup and out in a year.

But you must remember they do an important job. They stop people bringing in drink and **** that may be about 10% cheaper, they keep the unemployment figures down as it takes 3 of them to do the job of one and take travellers out of the job market statistics altogether by sticking them in prison. Most of them are failed VAT inspectors and once given some power than think they are the Terminator. Tosseurs as they say in French.

So credit where it is due.


----------



## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Mat7 I can relate to American security checks.
I had squeezed a regular PC tower in a tight fit canvas zipped holdall which was exactly regulation hand luggage size.
By the time my shoes, belt, change and keys had made it through the X-ray machine a massive female rotweiler had destroyed the whole bag zip and all without managing to get the PC out of the canvas.
When I did eventually get to her looking mad as hell she just handed the debris to me and said "I won't bother this time". 

The only time I have been searched in Europe was returning to Portsmouth alone with no duty free. 
Two reasons for them to be suspicious I guess.

Ray.


----------



## Texas (May 9, 2005)

HMIR&C are looking at shedding a few jobs in the near future, wonder if it will affect the ferry terminal teams?


----------



## Carper (Aug 15, 2007)

Hi

I have been spun over so many times when returning through Dover, that i have developed a complex....everyone is getting waved through, except me.

This has happened in various cars and vans over the years. On one occasion the vehicle was taken behind closed doors and i had to wait 2 hours before i saw it again. I could see where the door trims had been pulled away at the corners, so i guess they had put a camera inside. When i asked why they had picked mine out from all the others, i was told that it was because i had too many airfresheners!!!

On the whole, most of the times the UK customs have been very polite and curtious. I have even been offered a coffee while they pulled my van apart. But on one occassion when i was returning from a *** run (With legal limit), i got stopped at Eurotunnel by a customs officer with a real attitude. He was wearing a balaclava, as were all the others, i think due to the threats that had been made against them. He asked me when i had aquired the car, I said that i couldn't be too sure, but thought it was in the summer. He asked me if i was stupid, or just a bit slow :roll: I told him that i wasn't the one that was standing in the pouring rain with a f**king balaclava on you t*sser. Obviously at this point things deteriorated, and he asked me if i had any idea what it felt like to have an internal search 8O . I calmed down very quickly, and explained that it was a company car, and that it was the 3rd one of the same model that i had had, so i couldn't be too sure exactly when i had got it. He sent me on my way warning me that he would "do me" next time :roll: :roll: 

Not been stopped in the MH though, though i was asked how much tobacco i had. When i said about a 100 packets, the very nice customs lady told me that though it was fine to take in to the UK (for 2 of us), it is infact illegal to carry more that 1kg per vehicle through France

Doug


----------



## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

Checked at dover earlier this year.
I politley asked the lady inspector what she was looking for.
She answered` nothing in particular sir.`
My mischeviouse reply was `well my dear the van is full of that .`
She promptly let me go.
Who smuggles any thing out of this country?
Dave P


----------



## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

DTPCHEMICALS said:


> Who smuggles any thing out of this country?
> Dave P


Indeed !

Do you remember the foot and mouth restrictions ? We arrived at Dover where there was a small, very creased bit of wet sacking to drive over with an unmanned booth beside and so no-one to check whether you did drive over it. It would have been hard enough to do with a car but impossible with a motorhome without removing the booth window ledge.

No-one checked whether we had any of the prohibited foods - and we didn't because we'd been very honest and not brought anything and even emptied the milk carton and the butter dish.

G


----------



## chrisjrv (May 7, 2007)

Hi,
My friend used to go over for his baccy run about once a year, he was stopped coming back through Dover and told he had too much on board and the motorhome was confiscated!!!! you have been warned.
PS the tobacco was for himself, not for sale
Chris :roll:


----------



## oldun (Nov 10, 2005)

I have often heard that the Customs choose the more scruffy type of person to search but in my case this is not true.

We used to travel abroad in the company of my sister and her husband in their car/caravan outfit.

They are extremely posh whereas we are normally untidy.

On three occasions one of us was searched and it was always the outfit belonging to my sister.


----------



## exmusso (Jun 18, 2006)

*CUstoms*

Hi Russell,

We sailed through the customs/border at Mulhouse/Basle and indicated we wanted a Swiss vignette. Shown where to park and vignette purchased no problem.

Now in an ACSI site Il Sargente near Florence and slowly heading for Sicily. M/H too much overhang for regular pitch up steep ramp and scored the beautiful lokblok with towbar so now parked right outside main reception and restaurant.

No LPG in Switzerland to be seen. Filled up Gaslow as soon as across the Italian border.

75cm of snow lying in campsite last night in Appenines but OK here.

Cheers,
Alan


----------



## WSandME (May 16, 2007)

During the last BSE scare, when meat products were banned from cross-border transport, we were "pulled" at the Brit Eurotunnel terminal on the way to France.

My wife was terrified:

It was early morning, and she had prepared a batch of bacon and egg sandwiches, and mini Melton Mowbray pies to consume on the train, or on our onward journey in France in the early morning.

I pointed out that these comestibles wouldn't be allowed past customs, but she said that we'd never been stopped before, and in any case, she would put them in the little cubby hole tray under the passenger seat of our Lexus. "They'll never find them there!"

We were ushered to the examination area and asked to get out of the car while they searched. Wife worried. Even more so when they said "We'll get the sniffers". 

Dammit, if they get the dogs out, we're sure to be rumbled :~(

Luckily, the "Sniffers" were electronic wands, used to detect explosives :~)

Phew! :~)


----------



## 107088 (Sep 18, 2007)

I do 2 trips to Belgium per year in the car for tobacco. We are stopped so often that I turn up early to give them time so I catch the train on time.

Oh, and I handed over the plassy bag with the vehicles docs in , the lady looked at them all and asked if I knew I needed to have the V5 with us. At which point I ased to speak to her supervisor, and when she turned up I asked the original lady to repeat her question. She did, and I showed the bag to the supervisor, which of course had the V5 on top and clearly visible. 

When I go in the RV, I dont get stopped. Dunno why, but maybe its because its blessed huge,


----------



## duxdeluxe (Sep 2, 2007)

JacSprat said:


> Must say though, the British customs people are a hell of a lot more polite about it all than the Americans. Even before 9/11, when I used to go down with mates from Vancouver to do some shopping in Washington State, it was often terrifying at the border. Regular gestapo.


Was that the crossing at Abbotsford? Took three hours to go across there last year. They had an even worse charisma bypass than the usual US border control. Yesterday, flying into Washington I was given a hard time for daring to visit USA frequently (14 times in the last 2 1/2 yrs - b) and when I dared to comment on it and ask why it was a problem got my customs card marked and of course had my bags searched when I got to customs. I was just waiting for him to produce the marigold gloves........

And they wonder why people don't like them!


----------



## Invicta (Feb 9, 2006)

I must have been lucky. Only searched one in all the years of travelling to the continent and the US and that was when I was returning to Dover on a coach trip to the Dutch Bulb Fields.

The driver told them "Yes" when asked if we had been to Amsterdam and that was when they decided to do the search. They even put on rubber gloves to inspect the toilet on the coach. 

I did fly into Boston Airport once with some Lyons Red Label Tea in my suitcase for my cousins who were living in Conecticut for 6 months but got through OK. I must have an honest looking face!


----------



## scouter (Dec 14, 2007)

*Van searching*

In the days long ago when we had a type 2 VW and you could only bring 14 bottles of wine back, we were searched at Dover, just a quick search amongst the dirty washing etc but next to us in the search bay, they had taken some of the furniture out of a VW whilst searching, and the owner was trying to put in back in.

After an accident a couple of years later when I rebuilt the inside, I became aware of how many potential hiding places they could be in a small VW, and they were used as safe storage after the rebuild for documents etc

When we had a PVC on a sprinter, we used to be questioned regularly at customs in the UK, being a PVC they must have thought we were a white van couple doing booze runs!

Mind you the fench can get a bit iffy about tabacco particularly going into France from Belgium , Spain and Andorra(?)

happy camping

alan


----------



## duxdeluxe (Sep 2, 2007)

oldun said:


> I have often heard that the Customs choose the more scruffy type of person to search


Ah - so that's the problem. Note to wardrobe - must not dress like a scruffy git.... hmmmm - that's an issue; unable to dress any other way!!


----------



## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Customs*

Hi

No tipping stuff out at Calais today.

I am still sort of "shocked" at being stopped at Mulhouse. This was my 82nd (I think) passage of that road going back to my first trip on a coach as a rep in 1994.

Russell


----------

