Fuel thefts rise 362% compared to pre-pandemic as petrol stations suffer increase in crime similar to shoplifting spike

The number of fuel thefts at petrol stations across Britain has soared this year, figures show.

Gas station owners have been trying to track down 39,563 drivers who drove away without paying for fuel between July and September.

That’s 77 percent more than the 22,335 cases investigated in the same period in 2022, and 362 percent more than the total of 8,558 in those three months in 2019, according to data obtained by the RAC Foundation.

That’s what the car group says The increase could be due to ‘systematic criminal activities’.

The figures relate to the number of requests made to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) by petrol station operators requesting a vehicle owner’s details after capturing the license plate on CCTV cameras.

Most incidents likely involve drive-offs (also known as ‘bilking’) where someone fills up their car without intending to pay and then leaves.

The British Oil Security Syndicate (or BOSS) – which campaigns to reduce crime at petrol stations – estimates that the practice costs every petrol station across the country an average of £10,500 a year.

The maximum penalty for drivers convicted of leaving without paying – an offense under the Theft Act 1978 – is two years’ imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine.

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: ‘Of all the recent media attention given to the epidemic of shoplifting, it should probably come as no surprise to find that the theft of petrol and diesel at petrol stations is a large and growing seems to be a problem. and these numbers may just point to a much bigger problem.

‘While it may be that the cost of living crisis tempts some people to take the risk of driving away without paying, the real headache for fuel suppliers is that this is a sign of more systematic criminal activity.

‘The message to anyone tempted to go to the petrol station should be: ‘Don’t fill up if you can’t pay’, because getting caught is a real possibility and financial losses for businesses ultimately lead to higher prices for all of us .’

Such was the scale of the 2023 shoplifting epidemic that bosses of almost 90 retailers, including Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Boots, were forced to join forces to call for a crackdown on the crime wave sweeping Britain’s streets.

The 88 companies, which also include WH Smith, Aldi, Primark and Superdrug, have written to the Government demanding action as shoplifting spirals out of control.

Shameless thieves have regularly been caught on camera stealing brazenly – in cases where staff have been attacked – with retail bosses claiming they were powerless to stop criminals.

The RAC Foundation released the figures on petrol and diesel thefts shortly after fuel price monitors raised alarm bells that retailers are still taking higher margins on every liter than they should.

On October 31, the average petrol price in Britain was 154.5 pence, while on October 1 it was 157.1 pence, the AA said.

While the October drop ended four months of rising fuel prices for motorists, the small drop of 2.5 pa-liters in a month compares to a larger reduction in wholesale costs of at least 5 cents per liter.

Similarly, the diesel price of 161.4 pence per liter is similar to 162.4 pence at the start of October, again following a drop in wholesale costs of 3 pence to 4 pence per litre.

The RAC recently accused Britain’s biggest fuel retailers of charging an extra 5p for every liter of petrol sold to drivers.

According to the report, the failure to pass on these savings is akin to retailers pocketing those from the government Shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, a 5 cent tax cut was introduced to help struggling families cope with the cost of living crisis.

Instead, the RAC says the fuel duty cut is only intended to ‘help retailers who have chosen to increase their margins’, which should infuriate drivers and the Treasury.