Millions of pounds worth of fuel is stolen every year and a new report has revealed that barely one per cent of the related crimes are ever punished.

Petrol and diesel pumps are under attack across the UK, with almost £1.75m worth stolen in 2018, with the most common kind of theft being drivers simply driving off from the petrol station forecourt without paying. Other fuel crimes include theft from commercial premises with kerosene, paraffin, coal and gas also popular.

The rising cost of petrol and diesel is clearly fueling the thefts, but the most worrying aspect is that the crimes are rarely punished. A Freedom of Information Request from Crown Oil revealed that of the 120,000 fuel thefts in 2018, only one per cent resulted in a prosecution.

The data reveals that each theft costs the victim on average £91.21 and though there has actually been an 11 per cent drop in the crimes since 2016, it is still a worrying trend and one which is particularly bad in the nation’s capital were £1.1m of the total figure is stolen from.

Matt Greensmith, managing director of Crown Oil, commented: “These findings confirm our suspicions – fuel theft occurs far too often across the country and costs businesses and individuals alike millions of pounds a year, whilst the nature of the crime often means a reported theft will go unpunished.”

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