Police warn Brands campers to be on their guard

POLICE patrolling the Brands Hatch campsites have warned anyone who plans to camp there tonight to be on the look out for so-called “slash and grab” thieves.

There have been four or five cases of petty criminals using knives to cut through the material of tents to quickly snatch anything of value inside – usually mobile phones or wallets – even when there tents have been occupied!

PC Mick Hunter said: “We’ve had a few cases of this happening, and we want people to be aware of it and take precautions. Whenever you get large gatherings of people you get these opportunist thieves who are out to take advantage of everyone else having a good time.

“What we advise is putting your smaller valuables in the bottom of your sleeping bag. These thieves spend just a few seconds inside a tent and they won’t take the time to rummage through lots of things if it takes too long.”

The police presence at the campsites is considerable to prevent thefts, and Hunter said: “These criminals have got some balls to do what they’re doing,” and advised anyone who catches one in the act to simply shout for the police – there should be one no more than a few seconds away.

Meanwhile, if you’ve forgotten your air horns for the racing, one vendor has brought an incredible 10,000 to sell at his stall… and he expects every single one to go at the £4.99 asking price.