Fuel thefts from Britain’s petrol stations soar in mirror of shoplifting epidemic

The shoplifting epidemic hitting Britain has been mirrored on filling station forecourts – with petrol thefts up by almost 400 per cent since before the pandemic. The number of petrol and diesel thefts this year was also 77 per cent higher than last year’s figure, with 22,335 registration requests across the July to September period. ‘Big and growing problem’ Steve Gooding, the director of the RAC Foundation, said: “Amongst 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 from forecourts looks to be a big and growing problem, and these figures might only hint at a much bigger issue. “The PRA remains committed to collaborating with all stakeholders to ensure safer environments for our members and their communities.” Mr Gooding said: “The message to anyone tempted to bilk the service station must be ‘don’t fill up if you can’t pay up’ because getting caught is a real possibility, and financial losses to companies ultimately lead to higher prices for us all.”