Appeal to all agricultural and marina businesses regarding theft of diesel fuel

North Yorkshire Police has recently seized a vehicle which contained a large quantity of diesel fuel in the rear of the vehicle. This has prompted us to issue an appeal to all agricultural and marina businesses regarding the storing of diesel fuel and how you can help prevent further crimes.

Diesel theft is a problem for many farms and rural properties.

Fuel tanks stored in rural and isolated locations are very attractive to thieves looking for an easy target.

Here are some key measures to take to help keep diesel fuel safe and secure:

  • Keep tanks stored close to the property where you can see them. If this isn’t possible, you should consider installing CCTV to watch over isolated tanks and restrict access with walls, fences, and hedges. Security lighting such as ‘dusk till dawn’ or motion detection lighting can also be an effective deterrent to thieves
  • Remember to check the oil level in your tank regularly. Look for any spilt fuel, marks on the locks or anything else suspicious
  • Avoid installing a storage tank in an isolated area or outlying building
  • Consider using a mobile bowser (tanker) kept in a secure place when not in use
  • Use ‘diesel dye’, making your diesel traceable and less attractive to thieves

This information can be found on the following link, as well as other useful rural crime prevention tips: Rural crime prevention | North Yorkshire Police.

Making a report

If you think an offence has or is about to be committed, please let us know.

You can report a rural crime on the following link. Report a rural crime | North Yorkshire Police

Alternatively, you can call North Yorkshire Police on 101 or 999 if it is an emergency.

If you’re not sure it’s a crime, we’d rather hear from you and decide that ourselves.

Message Sent By
Dougie Beveridge
(North Yorkshire, PCSO 3758, Hambleton)

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