On our recent journey home, having covered about 120 miles and only a few miles to complete we started to hear a very worrying clanking noise coming from the van when going around roundabouts and when hitting bumps in the road. We pulled in and found that the jockey wheel winding handle had clearly been winding down and the jockey wheel was just millimetres clear of the road. Has anybody else experienced this and what advice can you give to prevent it happening again. we have been caravanning regularly for 5 years now and never experienced this before and I really don't want to think of what the consequences would have been if the jockey wheel and lower strut had fallen off whilst whizzing along the motorway - a lucky escape for us I think.

I usually wind mine right up (there is a bit that fits into a notch) then give it a hit with the palm of my hand to make sure its tight.
I read once about someone using a bungee to stop it winding down but can't remember exactly how it fitted.

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Eriba U.K. at Lechlade used to supply a short bungee thingy to prevent the handle turning.
It's easy to put one from the handle down to the jockey wheel clamp or even back to one of the front grab handles.

Deeps, that looks like a really good solution. Where did you obtain the bracket?
Thanks.

Local DIY store. It's a drainpipe clamp.

Thank you for that everyone . I do exactly as Hob described but in this instance I either didn't thump the handle hard enough or a bump in the road (of which there were many) dislodged the handle and gave it free rein to wind down. I'll try the short bungee solution that seems like a good idea and I certainly don't want that experience again.