Adam Hills warns fans of security risks and ‘sleeping gas’ after Venice train theft

Adam Hills has spoken out about an incident of theft and the possible use of “sleeping gas” while on an overnight train in Italy.

The comedian and host of the Channel 4 panel show The Last Leg shared a note about his holiday in Venice on Tuesday (11 July).

After sharing some quick thoughts about his experience, including the prevalence of Australian holidaymakers and the beauty of the city, Hills, 53, wrote about being stolen from while in a rail sleeper car.

“Lock your door with both locks on the Night Train to Venice. Our compartment was broken into while we slept and some of our stuff was stolen,” he wrote.

He went on to recount the responses of the guards on the train, who he says told them: “You have to lock both locks because they have keys”.

Hills continued: “They also said ‘this happens every day’ (information that would have come in handy at the beginning of the trip).”

The comedian then shared his speculation that the people who stole from him could have used a substance to ensure that he and his companion didn’t wake up and catch them in the act.

“Our tour guide told us they sometimes use gas to make you sleep more solidly,” Hills wrote. “The weird thing is, someone knocked on our door around 4.30am. They may have even opened the door. We can't be sure.

“We slept super solidly for the next two hours and awoke dazed, groggy and missing a backpack and a bumbag.

“So to reiterate: Venice is beautiful but be sure to lock both your locks on the night train.”

The Independent has reached out to a representative of Adam Hills for further comment.

In response to his post, followers and fans have chimed in with words of support and stories of similar travel experiences.

The Twitter account of Österreichische Bundesbahnen, the Austrian train company tagged by Hills in the post, also responded with information on making an official complaint.

“We are very sorry that this has happened to you,” the message begins. “We want all our passengers to feel safe at all times. The situation you explain does not meet this standard at any means. Please fill in our contact form here, in order to investigate further.”