alan2525

I've been enjoying this story on the news - about the 200 odd locals who've been scavenging Branscombe Beach in Devon after a container ship beached itself and it's load of containers started to float off and wash up on the beach!

Some guy apparently helped himself to a truck load of brand new 15,000 quid BMW motorbikes! They all appeared to be in great shape and all plastic wrapped too! Bolted the front wheels on and wheeled them off!

I bet Ebay will have a lot of BMW spares on it in the next day or so!

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/22012007/32...argo-ship.html

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new to trains

Good Luck To Them, So Long As They Register The Items They Salvage Everything Is ' Legal'- Lets Be Honest Insurance Will Cover The Commercial Losses, The One Thing I Find A Bit Harder To Hard To Swallow Was The Report On The News That Someone Was Shipping The Contents Of Their Home To South Africa And Had Containers Aboard This Vessel, Their Obvious Personal Belongings Were Left Dumped On The Beach, The Tv Report Showed Family Pictures And Photos Washed Up, And Scavengers Just Trampling Over Their Posessions.....

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just gotta keep building !

John

What are they going to do with the bikes, they can't use them as the don't have the registration documents so they can only break them up for spares which seems a shame

But I wish I lived closer I wouldn't mind having a rummage

alan2525

Ebay the parts!

Bunkerbarge

I guess I'm out of step with most people here when I say I find the whole thing very distastefull.

Whatever the legal aspects are I still find it morally wrong and things such as this seem to bring out the worst in human nature. As for peoples possessions on thier way to a new start in life, that says it all. It is only getting trampled on as the people who are blindly driven by greed have no respect for any thing or any body else.

All a bit sad to me. Don't all jump down my throat, I know I'm the odd one out here!!

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alan2525

I was half listening to the news this morning and they were commenting on what belongs to who, as far as unearthing treasures and various artefacts.

If you find a large hoard of gold coins or somesuch it all belongs to the crown, so basically anything good, gold etc...the queen jumps in and says "I bagsies that!"

It's rather odd though what belongs to who regarding those containers from that ship. If it is on the beach and left there, perishables such as those babies nappies would soon become soiled (bad pun intended) and a BMW motorbike, nomatter how superier German Engineering is supposed to be, salt water would make short work of it.

If those people are going to report their findings, I doubt anyone would really be interested in collecting those items from their new homes anyhow, insurance will pay for it, and they'd only be worth a fraction of their value anyhow.

I found it funny how the first report spoke of a danger to the public from a "toxic spillage" and subsequent reports failed to mention it, seemingly just scare tactics to make sure people stay away from the beach. Then they spoke of the company employing security guards to patrol the beach, which seemingly didn't happen.

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wonwinglo

I think the situation soon got out of hand despite the police presence,it seems that people are opportunists in situations like this,looting is a real problem also when whole towns get ripped apart by storms,except in America they point guns at anyone caught in the act.
Most of the stuff on that beach would be worthless within a few hours if the brine from the sea got to it,those motorbikes would be corroded hulks,it just seems that those people had the nerve to get hold of that tractor and drag them clear,there looks like a lot more cargo about to meet a watery end soon.
There was a song made about a ship that sank and the whisky cargo was salvaged by the locals,that was a very long time ago.

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squiffythewombat

Theres been huge threads on the bike forums about this!

1) Anybody who got a BMW is likelly to be able to keep it. BMW knows the serial numbers of the bikes in question and will be claiming with their insurance company. If the person didnt fill out a claim form however they are in big doodoo. Even if the bikes are claimed back they will have to pay the finder a salvage fee under maritime law, thats normally a third of the goods. Or they can pay the £2000 criminial charge (which for a 15k bike is still just silly!)

2) The bikes were brand new, still sealed and in PERFECT CONDITION! (barry the containers were sealed..thus how they floated ashore so the bikes were in perfect condition!

and as for the people taking personal effects, thats just robbery under a different name, im sure BMW can afford to loose 50 bikes, but worthless family photos just brings down the human race in my opinion!

flytilbroke

On the TV news tonight. it was reported that the forms were filled in by bmw bike saviours. I hope the law gets changed in Englandshire now, or do I?

If the Beach combers did not take the stuff into a safe area before it got ruined by seawater the authorities, the ship owners and their insurers sure didnt move very fast to safeguard the goods. I am sorry for the family whose goods got bu,,,,,, up. Had the wooden case been uplifted then some of the goods would have been safe. Left in the water??

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Retired is the best job

duncan

Latest "reason" the police didn't act to stop the looting earlier was that "they were unsure of the law". Surely one phone call to a maritime lawyer would have cleared that up. I cant recall a song Barry but the classic film "Whisky Galore" ( Tight Little Island in the US) where the locals liberate thousands of bottles of whisky from a beached freighter and the dodges they get up to hiding the loot from the Customs officers who arrive from the mainland. Hilarious, based on a true incident. There is talk of a re-make. Hope they dont Americanise it.