Soaring UK Fuel Prices See Record Theft From Petrol Stations

A gauge of petrol-station crime in the UK hit the highest level since it began being published in 2015, according to an industry group that monitors such activity.

(Bloomberg) — A gauge of petrol-station crime in the UK hit the highest level since it began being published in 2015, according to an industry group that monitors such activity.

The surge comes amid signs of soaring prices at the pump. Drivers in the UK were hit by one of the sharpest jumps in fuel prices in more than two decades last month, motoring group RAC said Monday.

The British Oil Security Syndicate said its Forecourt Crime Index hit a record, with a 4.7% increase in unpaid fuel bills versus a quarter earlier.

It says such crime comes in two categories — motorists driving off without trying to pay for their fuel, or those who agree to pay but lack the means and don’t return to do so. The latter accounts for about two-thirds of the crime.

Fuel prices have surged in part because of oil production cuts from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies. Demand globally has also hit a record.

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