A retired couple’s precious boat stolen by a gang to smuggle migrants from France to England has been returned to them after a Herculean battle against officialdom by the Mail.
The much-cherished red-and-white vessel, named Aidan and little bigger than a bathtub, was delivered to the pensioners at their picturesque village near Dunkirk in northern France amid tears, laughter – and much kissing of cheeks in the French style.
‘Merci, merci again,’ said an emotional Eric Blin, hugging me as he set eyes on Aidan for the first time since February.
‘We never thought our bateau would come back. She disappeared at night from our local canal and we were told by the French police and British Border Force that a smuggling gang had taken her to England.’
The retired welder bought Aidan on the internet for £2,200 as a present to his wife Nadia, a former laundress. They planned to spend this summer taking it out for picnics along the willow-lined canal near their home in Watten village,…