UK motorists have stolen approximately £200,000 worth of fuel every day since the start of the Iran war, which has disrupted the global oil supply, according to industry analysis.
Analysis by UK-based fuel theft prevention platform Forecourt Eye showed that fuel theft incidents at petrol stations rose by 20 per cent in the five months after the Iran war began on February 28, compared with the previous five months.
Forecourt Eye said the disruption to global oil supplies drove fuel prices higher, increasing the value of fuel stolen across the UK’s 8,359 forecourts by 48 per cent over the same period to an estimated £194,000 per day.
The firm said it analysed data from 550 forecourts, comparing the five months before and after the Iran war began. It said daily incidents have risen to at least 2,872 from about 2,400.
Fuel stations reported “abuse, intimidation, and violence from frustrated customers”, with some motorists driving off without paying for fuel and others claiming they had no means to pay.
According to the platform, the volume of fuel stolen jumped by 24 per cent, from an estimated 87,000 litres to 108,900 litres a day across all forecourts.
The platform added that first-time offenders were responsible for a 23 per cent rise in fuel theft incidents and a 26 per cent increase in the volume of fuel stolen.
Repeat offenders accounted for a 17 per cent rise in incidents and a 20 per cent increase in the volume of fuel stolen.
Forecourt Eye managing director Michelle Henchoz called for “joined-up technology” to help operators protect their forecourts as “offending becomes more organised and more sophisticated”.
