Forecourts are facing up to three attempted thefts a day on average, says recent industry data, suggesting that rising petrol prices have led to an increase in the number of drivers trying to drive off without paying.
As the cost of filling up has soared in recent weeks, so has the number of incidents where motorists have either driven away without paying or claimed to have no means of payment.
Figures from Forecourt Eye, a company that collects payments on behalf of about 1,000 garages around the UK, show there was a 39 percent increase in reports of non-payment between January and May this year.
British Oil Security Syndicate (Boss), another organisation that pursues debts for petrol retailers, said attempted thefts soared by 22% in the first week of June, compared with the same period in May.
Forecourt Eye and Boss said more drivers were claiming to have forgotten their wallets than just driving off without paying, a shift away from what was previously a roughly 50-50 split.
The figures come as the average cost of filling a typical family car with petrol hit more than £100 for the first time this week, on what experts called a “truly dark day” for UK drivers. Figures from the RAC showed the average price of a litre of petrol reached a record 183.16p on Thursday (9), taking the average cost of filling a 55-litre family car to £101.06.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak introduced a 5p fuel duty cut in March’s spring statement to help bring costs down, but it has been claimed that the reduction is not being passed on at the pumps.
The RAC’s fuel spokesperson, Simon Williams, accused the government of being “fixated on ensuring retailers are passing on March’s 5p duty cut fully”, claiming this was “ignoring the fact that wholesale costs of fuel have absolutely rocketed since then”.
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