industry focus
Fuel theft hike linked to war
Petrol theft has surged by 62 per cent as a result of the war in the Middle East, according to new figures.
The data from fuel theft recovery company Pay My Fuel comes as petrol and diesel retailers say their staff have also faced a jump in abuse because of high fuel prices caused by the US-Israel war with Iran.
Since the conflict began, the cost of filling a typical family car with petrol has risen by £14, while a typical tank of diesel has gone up by about £27.
The government said fuel thieves "must face the full force of the law" while police said forces were taking a proactive approach to the issue.
According to data from Pay My Fuel. the number of drive-offs experienced by an average forecourt each week has risen from 2.1 in March 2025 to 3.4 in March 2026 - an increase of roughly 62 per cent.
The firm, which has systems across 1,400 forecourts to help recover stolen funds, said the average value of a drive-off had risen by 46 per cent over the same period.
"It's a lot worse," said director, Ian Wolfenden.
"An average drive-off for one of our customers used to be £56, and now it's gone up to £67. So, if you consider they're losing nearly £70 every two days, it's not insignificant."
Wolfenden added the problem was three or four times as bad in less affluent areas, highlighting east and south east London, Glasgow, Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham as particular problem areas for drive-offs.
Gordon Balmer, executive director of the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA), said the increase in the price of fuel since the war began had led to a "noticeable increase" in fuel theft.
He said some of the theft was "obviously organised crime", but other instances were people who said they had forgotten their wallet or purse.
"Some of that could be due to the cost of living," Balmer said.
The head of the National Business Crime Centre, Superintendent Lisa Maslen, said fuel theft continued to "place a significant and unacceptable strain on fuel retailers, impacting businesses financially and placing additional demand on policing resources".
She said police forces were taking a "proactive approach to tackling this issue, working to identify offenders, disrupt repeat behaviour and ensure those responsible are held to account".
The police were boosting collaboration with fuel retailers and cost recovery agencies to help identify patterns and target repeat offenders, Lisa added.
A government spokesperson said: "Fuel theft undermines businesses and their workers. These thieves must face the full force of the law."
