Almost £200,000 of Fuel Stolen From UK Forecourts Every Day as Drivers Struggle With Rising Prices

Fuel theft across the UK has surged since the outbreak of the conflict involving Iran, with an estimated £194,000 worth of petrol and diesel being stolen from forecourts every day, according to new industry analysis.

The number of fuel theft incidents has increased by around 20% in the five months since 28 February, compared with the five months before the conflict began. The rise has coincided with major disruption to oil supplies and a sharp increase in wholesale energy prices, which pushed up costs for motorists at the pump.

Forecourt Eye, a company specialising in fuel theft prevention, estimates that the value of fuel stolen each day has risen by 48% compared with the previous five-month period.

The company analysed data from a representative sample of 550 UK forecourts and used the figures to estimate the scale of the problem across the country's 8,359 filling stations.

The analysis suggests there are now approximately 2,872 fuel theft incidents every day across the UK, compared with around 2,400 before the conflict began.

The incidents include motorists driving away without attempting to pay, as well as customers claiming they have no means of payment after filling their vehicles.

The estimated volume of fuel stolen has also increased by 24%, rising from around 87,000 litres per day to approximately 108,900 litres.

Forecourt Eye has warned that the financial impact is being accompanied by growing tensions between motorists and petrol station staff. Retailers have reported increased levels of abuse, intimidation and violence from customers frustrated by higher fuel prices.

The company said it plans to work with facial recognition technology provider Facewatch to give more than 2,000 retailers free access to crime-reporting technology from the autumn.

'People don't care' despite extensive CCTV

Shailesh Parekh, who operates six forecourts under the Midlands Motor Fuels banner, said fuel theft had become an almost daily problem.

He said his businesses had installed extensive CCTV systems, describing the number of cameras as greater than those found at Birmingham Airport on a square-foot basis.

However, he said surveillance alone had failed to prevent the problem.

"There is no deterrent, there is no comeback. That's where the problem is," Parekh said.

He claimed that thieves were increasingly filling additional containers as well as the fuel tanks of their vehicles.

Parekh estimated that fuel theft had cost his business around £40,000 during the last financial year, with the total expected to rise as fuel prices increase.

The National Business Crime Centre has previously warned that fuel theft places significant pressure on petrol station operators while creating additional demands on police forces.

Police have said they are taking a proactive approach, including identifying offenders, disrupting repeat criminal activity and pursuing those responsible.

Fuel prices remain a major concern for motorists

Fuel prices reached their highest point since the start of the Middle East conflict in recent weeks, with prices also reaching their highest level since 2022.

Prices had previously peaked in April before easing after the United States and Iran agreed to a framework aimed at ending the conflict in June. However, prices have since risen again following the collapse of peace talks.

The latest increase in fuel theft has also reignited debate over whether motorists are being unfairly charged at the pump.

Earlier this year, Chancellor John Healey said the government would monitor retailers for signs of price gouging, although he acknowledged there was no significant evidence of widespread abuse.

The Competition and Markets Authority also reported that there was no widespread evidence of fuel price gouging following the outbreak of the conflict. However, it launched an investigation into increased fuel margins recorded between February and March among several major retailers.

The Petrol Retailers Association has previously rejected accusations of price gouging, while the British Retail Consortium has argued that competition between supermarkets is helping to keep prices as low as possible.

The wider pressures facing retailers include higher National Insurance costs, increased packaging taxes and business rates, all of which businesses say are adding to operating expenses.

For forecourt operators, however, the combination of rising fuel prices and increasing theft is creating a difficult financial environment, with businesses facing losses from unpaid fuel while also dealing with growing tensions among customers.