Research shows extent of fuel thefts with £2m stolen last year

The data, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by Britain’s leading distributor of fuels and lubricants, Certas Energy, reveals that £2,099,518-worth of fuel was reported at stolen across the UK across 12 months in 2015.

Almost 20,000 commercial fuel thefts were recorded across the year, compared to just under 9,500 recorded domestic fuel thefts.

However, these total do not include Northumberland or the other counties in the Northumbria Police area as there were no figures available.

Angus Blundell, director of marketing at Certas Energy, said: “Although £2million is a shocking number, not all police forces held or recorded the total value of oil theft, meaning this could be the tip of the iceberg for oil theft.”

You can see heatmaps visualising fuel-theft hot-spots across the UK here.