Fuel theft at UK forecourts is continuing to rise, with incidents up 23% as pump prices increased following the Iran conflict, new data shows.
Fuel crime prevention platform Forecourt Eye recorded 11,170 theft incidents in March and April, up from 9,089 in January and February.
Across 500 forecourts in England, Scotland and Wales, the volume of stolen fuel rose 28% from 336,848 litres to 432,409 litres, while the value jumped 54% to £764,098.
The 54% value increase reflected both the 28% rise in volume stolen and fuel price increases of approximately 20% during the period, Forecourt Eye added.
No means of payment (NMOP) incidents – where motorists fill up and then claim they cannot pay – are continuing to grow significantly faster than traditional drive-offs, the company said.
While NMOP incidents have become more frequent, drivers are also taking larger quantities of fuel per incident. The average volume per NMOP event increased from 50 litres to 57 litres, while drive-off volumes remained flat.
“Fuel theft and declarations of no means of payment incidents are not levelling off, they grew again from March to April,” said Forecourt Eye MD Michelle Henchoz.
“The no means of payment figures in particular tell us that more people are taking more fuel using this mechanism, and fewer of them are paying afterwards.
“This is a pattern we need to take seriously as an industry because it suggests there may be a deliberate exploitation of the civil/criminal threshold, not simply financial distress.”
Forecourt Eye data also revealed that incidents committed by repeat offenders were up 18% to 3,514. However, incidents of fuel theft by first-time offenders, which are tracked by unique vehicle registrations, account for most of the increase. These rose by 25% to 7,656 incidents.
“Prior to the spike in fuel prices, an average UK forecourt was experiencing around two incidents every week,” said Henchoz.
“This figure has now risen to three every week and, based on April’s numbers being higher than March, the trend is pointing to a possible further increase in the order of a possible one incident every other day.
“It highlights the very real challenge that forecourt staff are facing on the frontline, who we know from feedback are also facing increasing frustration and abuse from drivers about rising prices.”
“When it comes to the volume of fuel being taken, a typical UK forecourt is now losing around 100 litres of fuel every week to drive-off and no means of payment incidents, which is up from around 80 litres before the Iran conflict began.”
No comments yet