DRIVERS have been given an urgent warning over danger at the petrol pumps after thieves pulled a machete on one forecourt.
New figures have revealed that the crimes are costing petrol station operators over £100 million every year.
Drivers have been warned about fuel thefts, with one horrifying case seeing a gang fight break out and one man brandish a macheteITV
Forecourt bosses have reported a significant rise in cases of ‘drive-offs’ and ‘double tanking’ITV
Research by the British Oil Security Syndicate (BOSS) showed that there are 1.5 million cases of motorists taking fuel without paying annually, according to a report from ITV News.
Forecourt bosses claim that some drivers are even turning up with spare fuel canisters to steal extra petrol (known as double-tanking), while others are slapping on false number plates to prevent identification from CCTV.
Ben Lawrence, who operates a BP station in Southampton, Hampshire, revealed that they had seen a significant increase in “drive-offs”, where dishonest customers fill up before driving away without paying.
He said: “Our staff are regularly shouted at and abused.
“It’s us small family businesses who are running these sites and the losses are hitting us, not the oil industry.”
In one horrifying case a gang fight broke out between fuel thieves on a forecourt, with one of the thugs brandishing a machete while his rival attempts to smash the window of a car attempting to make out without paying.
On the thefts, Bruce Nichol from BOSS said: “We’ve seen a 22% increase [in fuel crimes] since the pandemic.
“We can probably put [it] down to a number of things, including the price of fuel going up and the cost of living crisis which is taking place at the moment.”
Ben explained that staff may refuse to start pumps if your boot is open (and possibly containing extra fuel tanks) or if your face is covered, for example by a motorcycle helmet, to fight the thefts.
If you wish to fill up an extra canister, you need to make the cashier aware and pre-pay the volume.
Fellow retailer Hemant Tandon added: “To watch someone filling up on your forecourt and then essentially driving off with your hard-earned money in their tanks, it’s a heartbreaking feeling.
“To have it happen multiple times a day, which it does, it is upsetting both financially and emotionally.”
And Edmund King, President of the AA, suggested that the problem could see the UK “adopt the American model” paying before filling up.
However, he said that this could also see petrol stations lose out as drivers possibly won’t make the extra purchases that they would when going to pay the cashier under the current system.
A spokesperson for police chiefs said that cops would “take action” in cases where clear evidence can be obtained.
It comes after The Sun urged ministers to bring in a new regulator as campaigners claim petrol stations are failing to pass on price cuts to car owners.
Meanwhile, a traffic lawyer revealed a driving error you can’t actually be fined for.