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English Español UK: Fuel thefts are costing Brits at least £1.75 million a year

As much as £9 million worth of fuels could have been stolen across the UK in 2018.



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A recent Freedom of Information (FOI) request has revealed that fuel theft is an all-too-common occurrence in the UK.

Crown Oil, who issued the FOI, discovered that there were at least 25,614 confirmed fuel thefts in 2018, equating to over £1.75m lost to business and domestic users. Taking into account the constabularies that did not provide data, that number could rise to over £9m each year.

Meanwhile, British Oil Security Syndicate suggests that forecourt theft alone could be as high as £30 million.

Fuel theft can include petrol and diesel being stolen from vehicles, other fuels including coal, paraffin, kerosene and gas being taken from storage tanks on commercial premises. The largest single contributor to this number was drivers leaving without payment from a fuel station.

“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,” said Matt Greensmith, Managing Director of Crown Oil.

The data reveals that fuel theft incidents in 2018 saw an 11% drop year on year, although when compared to fuel theft figures in 2016, incidents increased by a third of a per cent nationally.

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