5,000 tents discarded

[progue]

Michael has said as recently as this year that he'd be happy for people to still be around by Tuesday so clearly there are differing interpretations of when you truly have to be offsite.

No stealing - 'end of'.

If that's the case, then I'm tempted to agree with you.

[fred quimby]

This is one of the fecking horrible parts of glastonbury where for the whole weekend you feel safe leaving your things in your tent, but come monday it is apparently not ok to leave your tent even to go and get a coffee, or take your things to the car without fear of having it nicked.

"tatters' may be ok to some extent but those who do not see that there is a problem well feckit you are blind to the problem, and there is a big problem. Just because it has not happened to you.....

How big?

I haven't looked at Crime figures and when reported so no idea what we are talking here. Sorry if it is in this thread somewhere.

Would be good if people could just leave a note saying I haven't left yet. Obviously only for Tatters. Theives are Thieves whether it's Wednesday or Monday.

I also wouldn't leave stuff in my tent over the festival that were valuable feeling it was safe

[Starks]

How big?

I haven't looked at Crime figures and when reported so no idea what we are talking here. Sorry if it is in this thread somewhere.

Would be good if people could just leave a note saying I haven't left yet. Obviously only for Tatters. Theives are Thieves whether it's Wednesday or Monday.

I also wouldn't leave stuff in my tent over the festival that were valuable feeling it was safe

Well who knows how big a problem it is, because it is officially after the festival so to my knowledge it is not recorded in the festival crime stats. But anecdotally quite a few of the people around us who did not get back to there tents until midday had there tents rummaged through at the very least.

I would not leave that much stuff in my tent, over the weekend but how much do people have to take to a festival, clothes shoes, rucksack all add up to quite a few hundred quid, regardless. But I do feel safe leaving these things in my tent over the festival, until monday.

[frostypaw]

"tatters' may be ok to some extent but those who do not see that there is a problem well feckit you are blind to the problem, and there is a big problem. Just because it has not happened to you.....

There is a problem - people are foolish enough to leave valuable belongings unsecured. FOOLS

Seriously? You both went to sleep with fully packed bags? That's like leaving a £100 note lying around....

You'd tell a child off for that. You'd say they were foolish and naive for leaving it unattended. You'd tell them to grow up and be aware that not everyone is nice, to be aware that this is the day everyone is leaving so it's extra easy for someone to pick it up and vanish - you'd tell them to learn to look after themselves.

You were foolish and naive for leaving your fully packed bags where someone could pick them up and walk off with them, you need to be aware that not everyone is nice and that Monday is the day when everyone is leaving so it's the easiest day for someone to steal a bag and just walk out. You need to learn to look after yourselves - take turns sleeping so someone can keep an eye on things etc

It's not a sanitised playground where nothing bad happens and noone will ever be nasty - it's still the real world. YES it shouldn't happen, but this is reality and we learn to lock our doors, to not leave money or valuables lying around in our cars etc - it's hard to remember after the joys of the festival, but reality is unavoidable and as long as there are people at the bottom of the pile they will take what those higher up leave around whatever the rules, whatever the laws - the people with nothing to lose won't care

What do you want? Everybody searched on the way out? Asked to prove they own all the items?

[progue]

What a disgusting state of affairs that we would consider someone a fool for sleeping in a tent with their personal belongings packed in a rucksack.

Whatever next?? Stick your walking boots in the lock ups and walk back to your tent barefoot every night!!

[frostypaw]

No don't be ridiculous. Would you advocate everyone keeping all their valuables in their tent all festival?

No. It would be foolish. It's foolish to lie asleep with hundreds of pounds loose about you - tell me that's wrong.

[Migraine]

No don't be ridiculous. Would you advocate everyone keeping all their valuables in their tent all festival?

No. It would be foolish. It's foolish to lie asleep with hundreds of pounds loose about you - tell me that's wrong.

You're wrong, I put my cash and bank card into the lockup and I even left my empty large rucksack in the lockup this year however I still have hundreds of pounds of stuff in my tent, short of keeping everything in the lockups most of us are going to have a considerable amount of equipment in our tents. I don't mind the tatters but then again I am normally camped with a reasonable sized group so there is someone around on the Monday to keep an eye out.

You are beginning to sound a bit like the Daily Mail with this blaming the victim.

[frostypaw]

So why did you bother putting your cash and bank card in the lockup? Did you think it would be foolish to sleep with and leave that money unprotected?

You're kinda contradicting yourself. We have to take a little personal responsibility no? Not kids anymore etc

ps> to quote the glastonbury festival website a well known offshoot of the Daily Mail

"To make life harder for thieves, leave your tent untidy so there's not an obvious bag to grab quickly."

There's lots more 'blaming the vicitim' available on there - or you can view it as sensible grown up advice from people who live in the real world where there will always be nasty people no matter how savage your laws and enforcement. If you make it easy for them and it happens then while it's a shame it smells an awful lot like complaining that it rained when you didn't bring a coat

Edited July 22, 2014 by frostypaw

[progue]

I think there comes a point where you have to say that things are beyond a joke. Practical measures like keeping exceptionally valuable smaller items or cash locked up is sensible for a variety of reasons (one of which is potential theft). The idea that you can't have a packed rucksack in your tent whilst you sleep, seems like the point where someone needs to step in and take control of the situation.

To take that a stage further and then refer to the victim of that type of theft a fool for sleeping in their own tent with their own camping equipment in a bag, doesn't really sit well either....Regardless of whether it is fits in with the advice on the Glastonbury Website....Kind of feels exactly like the "women who wear short skirts deserve to be raped argument" to be honest.

One thing is for sure, if nothing else, that such a pathetic state of affairs is justification in itself to stop this idea that Monday morning is somehow a licence for people to start rooting around through other peoples belongings. At least that way people can have a degree of confidence that their belongings are no more prone to theft than any other day.

Let's face it thieves should be easier to spot on Monday than any other day due to the fact they don't have cover from the masses of tents and so perhaps it is the cover of acceptability to root and rummage around through peoples effective homes that creates more of a problem.

Of course it also creates the additional problem that as well as being subject to a real theft, you may also be subject to someone unwittingly taking your tent or some other belongings because they had decided (due to the definitive signal of your tent door being left open) that you had decided to go home and leave your stuff behind.

Edited July 22, 2014 by progue

[stuartbert two hats]

So why did you bother putting your cash and bank card in the lockup? Did you think it would be foolish to sleep with and leave that money unprotected?

You're kinda contradicting yourself. We have to take a little personal responsibility no? Not kids anymore etc

ps> to quote the glastonbury festival website a well known offshoot of the Daily Mail

"To make life harder for thieves, leave your tent untidy so there's not an obvious bag to grab quickly."

There's lots more 'blaming the vicitim' available on there - or you can view it as sensible grown up advice from people who live in the real world where there will always be nasty people no matter how savage your laws and enforcement. If you make it easy for them and it happens then while it's a shame it smells an awful lot like complaining that it rained when you didn't bring a coat

Just checking- are you having us on? Tone is very hard to read on-line.

If not, then all I have to say is fuck that shit. I don't go to Glastonbury to spend all my time thinking about how nasty people are. I'll take the risk.

Edited July 22, 2014 by stuartbert two hats

[Zoo Music Girl]

This thread is really depressing. I can see both sides of the argument between progue and Yoghurt on a Stick, to be honest, but I'm beginning to feel I'm right to be nervous about leaving my tent to go and get a coffee on a Monday, which is sad.

Just as a curious aside, do people really intentionally leave drugs? Or is this just a case of finding accidentally discarded ones? Surely they don't weigh you down on the way back to the car.

[russycarps]

also, who would take a load of randomly found drugs anyway? especially the shite that's around these days

[Zoo Music Girl]

also, who would take a load of randomly found drugs anyway? especially the shite that's around these days

Well, I guess they could sell them...

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

also, who would take a load of randomly found drugs anyway? especially the shite that's around these days

Just as a curious aside, do people really intentionally leave drugs?

I'd say it's just people who have accidentally dropped them on the floor and in their tents etc.It would be OK if it were grass or resin and maybe coke, but anything else would be a major gamble.

[Migraine]

So why did you bother putting your cash and bank card in the lockup? Did you think it would be foolish to sleep with and leave that money unprotected?

You're kinda contradicting yourself. We have to take a little personal responsibility no? Not kids anymore etc

ps> to quote the glastonbury festival website a well known offshoot of the Daily Mail

"To make life harder for thieves, leave your tent untidy so there's not an obvious bag to grab quickly."

There's lots more 'blaming the vicitim' available on there - or you can view it as sensible grown up advice from people who live in the real world where there will always be nasty people no matter how savage your laws and enforcement. If you make it easy for them and it happens then while it's a shame it smells an awful lot like complaining that it rained when you didn't bring a coat

In your previous post you said that it was wrong to leave things loose in your tent, that's exactly what I do, I leave it a mess but those items are stil there.

It comes down to practicality, I don't plan on keeping all of my gear in the lockups and then only going to get what I need for the day, however that's fairly easy to do with money.

If you can't tell the difference between offering constructive advice, such as the glastonbury website, and calling people fools for leaving their clothes and sleeping bag in a tent then I feel like anything further I can add would be wasted.

Edited July 22, 2014 by Migraine

[frostypaw]

If you can't tell the difference between offering constructive advice, such as the glastonbury website, and calling people fools for leaving their clothes and sleeping bag in a tent then I feel like anything further I can add would be wasted.

The person in question was complaining because they had fully packed up their bags and then left them unattended while sleeping off a hangover, very different to what you said there.

EVERYONE in here is advised not to leave your packed bags lying in your tent during the festival

NOONE is complaining about that

So why when someone does the same after the festival are we expecting something different? Of course we all continue throughout the festival aware that there are bad people in the world - that's why we don't carry 500quid hanging out of our pockets on clear display all the time. It's only sensible to carry only the money you need and keep the rest in a lockup. How is this suddenly news? It's the advice that's been given out by the festival and this website for over a decade

[Starks]

The person in question was complaining because they had fully packed up their bags and then left them unattended while sleeping off a hangover, very different to what you said there.

EVERYONE in here is advised not to leave your packed bags lying in your tent during the festival

NOONE is complaining about that

So why when someone does the same after the festival are we expecting something different? Of course we all continue throughout the festival aware that there are bad people in the world - that's why we don't carry 500quid hanging out of our pockets on clear display all the time. It's only sensible to carry only the money you need and keep the rest in a lockup. How is this suddenly news? It's the advice that's been given out by the festival and this website for over a decade

I was asleep in my tent with my bags, maybe you misunderstood!

[progue]

As has been said there's a world of difference between advice offered on a website and referring to someone as a fool for having failed to anticipate that a packed rucksack in a tent (A fairly common combination of circumstances) would represent a call to arms for the countries underworld to spring into action.

[mrtourette]

Wonderful insight into tatting from Oracles and others. Also love the tags for this thread, although not sure if they're intentinally hilarious or not.

[LondonTom]

As has been said there's a world of difference between advice offered on a website and referring to someone as a fool for having failed to anticipate that a packed rucksack in a tent (A fairly common combination of circumstances) would represent a call to arms for the countries underworld to spring into action.

I don't think we are talking about the 'tatters anymore when talking about whole bags being stolen while someone is inside sleeping. We are talking about your standard scummy tent theifs that have likely been on the rob since they got there.

There is advice you can follow to help reduce the risk of theft, but remember its just a tent you are staying in,its never going be totally secure.

[stuartbert two hats]

I don't think we are talking about the 'tatters anymore when talking about whole bags being stolen while someone is inside sleeping. We are talking about your standard scummy tent theifs that have likely been on the rob since they got there.

There is advice you can follow to help reduce the risk of theft, but remember its just a tent you are staying in,its never going be totally secure.

I think you've hit the nail on the head there. Someone who takes a packed rucksack is not a tatter - they are a normal thief.

Tatters make sure that what they are taking has been genuinely abandoned. As has been noted, it is possible to tell most of the time and genuine tatters will move on if unsure, there is plenty of stuff to take after all!

[ICGenie]

I have never left my bags unpacked during the festival - not enough room in the tent for leaving it in a mess. I like my porch area to be tidy. I've never even thought someone might just grab my bag of clothes and make off with it.

[fred quimby]

I have never left my bags unpacked during the festival - not enough room in the tent for leaving it in a mess. I like my porch area to be tidy. I've never even thought someone might just grab my bag of clothes and make off with it.

I think you're safe with your style of clothes

[fred quimby]

to be honest, but I'm beginning to feel I'm right to be nervous about leaving my tent to go and get a coffee on a Monday, which is sad.

Think you need to get the facts first. A few folk on here saying some things have been nicked does not make it widespread.

I've been going since 1982 and never heard of anyone getting anything taken on the Monday (just to balance things up) you will often here the negative side more than positive always the way.

[fred quimby]

Well who knows how big a problem it is, because it is officially after the festival so to my knowledge it is not recorded in the festival crime stats. But anecdotally quite a few of the people around us who did not get back to there tents until midday had there tents rummaged through at the very least.

Did you report your theft?

and in bold once again to your knowledge. so you don't actually know (nor do I by the way, but I would have thought it should be)