UK Petrol Theft Surges in Early June With Prices Soaring

Alex Longley, Bloomberg News

Gas station pumps at a service station on the M62 motorway near Manchester, UK, on Saturday, June 11, 2022. The cost of fully filling up a standard UK car with petrol surged above 100 for the first time, underscoring the unrelenting pressure the country faces from spiraling fuel prices. Photographer: Anthony Devlin/Bloomberg , Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- The number of times drivers in the UK filled their vehicles with petrol and then drove off without paying surged at the start of June, according to a monitoring group.

Unpaid fuel incidents increased 22% in the first week of the month, when compared with the same period in May, according to the British Oil Security Syndicate, which tracks forecourt crime.

About 70% of the cases were motorists claiming not to have enough money to pay their bill, and subsequently not returning to settle up. The rest involved people driving off without even attempting to pay. The syndicate collects reports from petrol station operators and helps them collect the debts.

Prices of both petrol and diesel were setting fresh records daily in the UK, compounding a wider surge in living costs. On Tuesday, petrol climbed to £1.85 ($2.24) a liter, while diesel was £1.91. That compares with an average of £1.33 for petrol last year and £1.36 for diesel.

“There is no doubt that there is a link between rising fuel prices and increased incidents of forecourt fuel crime,” said Claire Nichol, executive director of the syndicate. “Reported incidents have been rising steadily by around 5% each month, but this month there has been a noticeable increase.”