A DRIVER had his broken down van ransacked of all possessions – after the AA abandoned it with the keys at a petrol station.
Louis Hartridge, 29, was driving his silver 2015 Renault Traffic when the alternator started knocking and smoking on Sunday May 5.
He decided to get the train home to Padstow, Cornwall, instead of staying with it 240 miles away in Reading, Berkshire.
The £7,000 motor was meant to arrive the following morning only for the keys left in the wheel arch to go missing while unattended in Weston-Super-Mare.
Tattoo artist Louis said: “It was a complete shambles. I couldn’t believe it.
“I never consented for my keys to be left unattended with the van. I’d only had it six months.
“I was in the process of converting it into a camper van and luckily took the tools out before the long drive.
“But they stole absolutely everything they could like the floor mats, wheel nuts and 12v wiring.
“It amounts to a few hundred pounds but it’s the principle. I trusted the AA to care for my car and recover it back home in the condition I left it in.
“It was their responsibility but they have shown no remorse and haven’t even apologised.
“They have shown complete disregard for my vehicle.”
Louis claims an AA worker told him relay drivers only cover areas of around 60 miles so his van was dropped off to be picked up by the next recovery vehicle.
They sent him a “pathetic” compensation cheque for the delay in getting his van home and told him he’d have to report the theft to police.
He now fears thieves are targeting vehicles left with keys in public places after other drivers complained of similar ordeals on a Facebook post about his experience.
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It comes after The Sun told how Wade Hassan, 33, of Bristol, complained after the AA left his £20,000 BMW at a service station with the key on a tyre for two nights in February.
An AA spokesperson said: “Our patrols fix more than eight out of 10 vehicles at the roadside.
“However, if a broken-down vehicle does require a recovery, our members are given the choice of whether they would like to travel with their vehicle in the recovery truck or have it recovered unaccompanied.
“The keys are left in an agreed location if the vehicle needs to be handed over to a secondary recovery vehicle before reaching its final destination.”
