Fuel theft at UK petrol stations surges amid cost-of-living crisis

LONDON – Fuel theft at petrol stations across the United Kingdom is on the rise, driven by the country's cost-of-living crisis.

An analysis by technology and analytics firm Forecourt Eye found that the value of stolen fuel climbed 48 per cent between February and July, to an estimated daily average of £194,000 (RM1.06 million) across 8,359 petrol stations in the UK.

The same analysis found that cases of vehicles filling up without paying rose 20 per cent in the five months since the start of the Iran war, compared with the preceding five-month period.

Miatta Fahnbulleh, the new Energy Secretary in the administration of Labour Prime Minister Andy Burnham, linked the trend to the cost-of-living crisis in the UK.

Fahnbulleh was pressed on Tuesday over the sharp increase in thefts at forecourt premises. She suggested the phenomenon stemmed at least in part from price increases by energy companies — remarks that drew criticism from Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice, who accused Labour of being soft on crime.

"We are very much aware of this issue and it is something we are working on with the Home Office, which will ultimately handle criminal cases and any form of theft," she said.

"But it reflects the fact that people are now under very deep pressure because of energy and fuel costs.

"We are monitoring fuel prices. We understand that the cost of fuel right now is too expensive and people are very worried about it," Fahnbulleh said when questioned about the figures on LBC radio by presenter Nick Ferrari.

The figures underline the pressure on households as well as on forecourt operators, who bear the losses from drive-offs. – AGENCIES