Preventing theft of spare wheel

An apparatus to inhibit unauthorised direct access to a spare wheel retaining mechanism e.g. a winch of a vehicle e.g. a van which is normally legitimately accessed via an access passage in a hollow section of the vehicle spaced from the retaining mechanism. The apparatus comprises a hollow body (31) having one end 50 adapted to align with and preferably engage in said access passage and its other end adapted to mate with a housing of the retaining mechanism. By infilling the space between the hollow section and the retaining mechanism access to the retaining mechanism is inhibited other than via the hollow body. Access to the hollow body is barred by a blanking means comprising either a locking plug 60 or blanking element 70 (Fig 3).