Family left stranded for more than 26 HOURS on the motorway say they were abandoned by the RAC after their van broke down on the way to their summer holiday

• Wendy and Lee Embleson were trapped with their teen son and three dogs for 26 hours
• The couple, from Tyneside, were on their way to a caravan park in the Peak District 

A family said they were left ‘physically and mentally drained’ after being abandoned for more than a day by the RAC when their van broke down on the journey to their summer holiday. 

Wendy and Lee Embleson, two dogwalkers from Backworth in north Tyneside, claim that the RAC and local repair shop Richford Motor Services left them to fend for themselves for 26 hours. 

The couple, their teenage son and three dogs, were forced to stay put on a motorway near Bramley in west Yorkshire after their Transit Van broke down as they were travelling to meet relatives at a caravan park on Friday evening for a nine-day trip. 

They said that after calling the breakdown service at around 6:30 pm that evening, they did not hear from anyone until 2:30 am on Saturday, when an RAC mechanic pulled up, only to tell them that someone else would need to tow them away. 

It wasn’t until 9:15 pm on Saturday that they were finally towed away. 

Wendy and Lee Embleson, two dogwalkers from Backworth in north Tyneside, claim that the RAC and local repair shop Richford Motor Services left them to fend for themselves for 26 hours

The couple, their teenage son and three dogs, were forced to stay put on a motorway near Bramley in west Yorkshire after their Transit Van broke down

Lee said that the only reason they got back home was because a worker from Richford, who was told to take them to the nearest service station, instead chose to bring them all they way to their home

Wendy said that when she called the breakdown company after she got back, they did not seem concerned as they were already back home

Lee said that the only reason they got back home was because a worker from Richford, who was told to take them to the nearest service station, instead chose to bring them all they way to their home. 

He told ChronicleLive: ‘I’m a grown man and it brought me to tears. I let my wife and my son get some sleep but I was up all night just waiting and looking out the window as soon as I heard a car.

‘I was looking and hoping it was coming. I felt like I was on a desert island. It was just horrendous.

‘We were physically and mentally drained. The caravan’s not suitable for off-grid, it does require a hook up, which is why we felt a bit stranded. I’m not happy about staying with RAC at all given what’s happened.

‘We have worked hard to save up and to get away, it’s really heartbreaking. Especially for my son who was looking forward to getting away.’

Wendy added: ‘If it wasn’t for him we would still be there!

The couple said that they called the RAC every 40 or so minutes, and ended up calling them 15 to 20 times throughout their ordeal. 

Wendy said that when she called the breakdown company after she got back, they did not seem concerned as they were already back home. 

A spokesperson from RAC told ChronicleLive: ‘We’ve apologised to the family for the time it took us to get them home.

‘We have an excellent record of providing a very high standard of service to our members, but on this occasion we sadly fell well short of that.

‘To say sorry for the stress and inconvenience, we’ve agreed a suitable gesture of goodwill with Lee which he’s happy with.’

Richford Motor Services, which are based in Derbyshire, chose not to provide a comment to ChronicleLive but reportedly said delays are common within the breakdown industry at this time of year.  

MailOnline has contacted both the RAC and Richford Motor Services for comment. 

Source: Read Full Article