TOWERS FAN £600 OUT OF POCKET AFTER THIEVES STRIKE
Day out ruined as van’s grille stolen
AN ALTON Towers super-fan who pays more than £1,800 a year for platinum passes has been left £600 out of pocket – after his van was targeted by car park thieves.
Lee Challinor paid to park his Ford Tourneo custom in a disabled priority space at Alton Towers during a visit this month.
But the dad-of-nine says their ‘great day’ out was ruined when he returned o discover the grilles had been stolen.
Now Alton Towers and Staffordshire Police are investigating.
Mr Challinor said: “I realised the chrome work had been stolen while I was in the car park. The grilles will cost around £600 to replace. I’ve spoken to the police and an officer said the car park is private property.
“Alton Towers has confirmed the grilles were on the vehicle when it entered because they’ve checked their CCTV and they’ve confirmed that it left without grilles, but they say nobody goes near the vehicle.
“But it’s parked by a hedge to a wooded area that goes right the way around so it could have been anyone. There appear to be blind spots where the cameras don’t cover – but I paid a fee to park there. I’m not having it.
“I’m not happy spending that kind of money. We spent around £180 inside Alton Towers that day as well as £1,832 on annual platinum passes – so I’m lining their pockets and I intend to take this the whole way.”
Mr Challinor said the van is now classed as dangerous ‘because there’s a big hole in the front of it’.
He added: I don’t want to claim on my insurance because they’ll have my trousers down and I can’t afford it. I can’t show any more loyalty than what I have done for Merlin. They cannot be taking people’s money and not taking responsibility, they can’t just sit pretty watching us spend our money while our valuables are being taken.”
Alton Towers has so far drawn a blank. An spokesperson said: “We are disappointed to learn about Mr Challinor’s experience. Upon learning of the matter, our team immediately reviewed the available CCTV footage. Unfortunately, we have been unable to locate anything of significance. Our car parks are managed under standard terms and conditions which are displayed in our car parks and on our website and which include a disclaimer regarding liability for vehicle damage or theft.
“However, we take all guest feedback seriously and will be conducting a thorough review of our procedures to identify any potential areas for improvement.”
Mr Challinor has told Staffordshire Police the thieves must have struck between 9.40am and 5.40pm on August 11.
A force spokesman said: “We have received a report of a theft that happened on the car park of Alton Towers. A grille was taken from the front of a grey Ford Tourneo while it was parked at the site.”