Chingford: A chingford couple whose hotel room was raided on their wedding night have been told by the management that burglary "is a way of modern life".

Scott and Fleur Freeland were holding their reception at the Roebuck Hotel Buckhurst Hill when someone used a key to get into their room and steal two Gucci watches, a mobile telephone and £75 cash.

The rooms of two of their guests were also burgled, they said, with one losing £160 missing and another losing £20.

Mr Freeland, of Station Road, said: "We didn't know it had happened until the next morning. It put a sour taste on the event. Especially seeing as we must have spent £10,000 there that night."

The Freelands' watches were worth a total of £1,100. However Mr Freeland believes they were lucky the wedding cards, which were left untouched, contained about £3,000.

The couple have been offered £100 by the hotel in compensation but accepted no liability.

In a letter to the couple, the hotel said that guests were advised not to leave valuables in their bedroom, and should instead deposit them at the reception.

Mrs Freeland said: "No notices were displayed in the reception or the bedrooms, and we were not advised not to keep valuables in the bedrooms.

"The next morning police did discover from staff at the hotel that the keys to the bedrooms are not unique and they each open several of the bedrooms. Clearly this shows there is a massive security risk at the hotel."

Loughton crime reduction officer Carol Staff met the manager last Friday to discuss the case and similar incidents at the hotel.

She said: "If we can give them any recommendations or any advice to try to prevent this sort of thing happening again then we will."

She disagreed with the hotel's suggestion that crime is just part of modern life, however, saying: "Does that mean that people have to accept they are victims? I don't think so.

"We're doing everything we can to prevent crime and stop people from being victims."

A hotel spokesman said: "We can confirm there have been incidents of alleged thefts at the hotel, but as the matter is being investigated by police the hotel feels it is inappropriate to comment."

December 18, 2001 15:00