Fuel thefts are rising across the UK – and around 38 a week are reported to our region’s police forces, The Northern Echo can today reveal.

The cost of filling a family car passed £100 for the first time last month as the cost of living crisis continued to tighten its grip across the UK.

And in the five months to June, more than 750 fuel thefts were reported to police in the North East and North Yorkshire – more than half of the 1,360 recorded throughout the entirety of 2021.

Figures obtained by The Echo show the region’s forces have tackled more than 9,000 fuel thefts in five years.

Read more: Top tips on protecting your fuel from thieves

That’s an average of around 33 a week since 2017 – but in 2022, the problem increased, with at least 38 a week recorded between January and May.

Our Freedom of Information request found most fuel is stolen from petrol stations, but farms were targeted on nearly 150 occasions.

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Other targets included compounds, building sites, garages and residential dwellings, where home fuel tanks can be targeted.

More unusually, Durham Constabulary also recorded thefts from an airport hangar, five medical buildings, the grounds of a substation and a golf club.

A spokesman for the force said preventative tactics were in place across the area to combat criminals trying to steal fuel, with officers working with volunteers in rural areas and with partners on targeted operations to carry out “targeted and intelligence-led action”.

Both Durham Constabulary and North Yorkshire Police have urged people to check the security of any fuel tanks in an attempt to ward off fuel thieves.

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A NYP spokesman said: “Many homes and businesses in North Yorkshire use heating oil, particularly in rural, isolated areas, where fuel tanks may be vulnerable to theft.”

He said oil theft is an on-going concern due to rising prices, warning that criminals could be looking for easy ways to exploit the situation.

More than £400,500 worth of fuel has been stolen across North Yorkshire since 2017, while victims across Northumbria lost nearly £208,000 in stolen fuel during that time.

Brian Gregory from the Alliance of British Drivers said: "With fuel taxes and duty running at over 50 percent of the cost of fuel and prices around the £2 a litre mark, it's perhaps unsurprising - though in no way forgivable - that fuel theft is on the rise."

He said a temporary cut in fuel duty could help to "cut the cost of living, put more disposable income in people's pockets and fuel economic growth".

Fuel thefts dropped significantly during the coronavirus pandemic, when more people were confined to their homes.

However, figures for Cleveland Police, Durham Constabulary, North Yorkshire Police and Northumbria Police suggest the number has climbed since.

Between January 2017 and June 1 this year, officers in Cleveland recorded 2,810 fuel thefts, while Durham recorded 2,761, North Yorkshire logged 2,830 and Northumbria recorded 629.

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