Fuel Theft Increases In Lincolnshire
In the week when a leaked letter from the Home Office predicted that as the credit crunch bites, the levels of crime in the country could rise, the police in Lincolnshire have revealed that fuel siphoning has risen by 30% in the county in the past three months. The Home Office research said that as the economy takes a downturn, crime is likely to go up.
It points out that in the last recession, violent crime increased by 19%, something that Home Office minister Tony McNulty describes as “blindingly obvious”.
The evidence of how a slow economy can impact on crime figures is all too clear to see in Lincolnshire, where poilce expect fuel siphoning to continue rising as winter approaches. This warning comes after the theft of 250 litres of diesel from a foreign lorry, which was parked up on the A1 at Dry Doddington, near Grantham.
The fuel was stolen from the Volvo tractor unit as the Hungarian driver slept, between 11pm on Friday 22 August and 5am the following morning. A spokesman for Lincolnshire Police claims that fuel siphoning between May and August has risen 30%, compared to the same period in 2007. “There has been more of a problem since the hike in fuel prices and it will be more common in the winter with longer, darker nights. Drivers must avoid isolated lay-bys.”
Other firms in Lincolnshire have fallen victim to fuel siphoning, such as Swineshead-based HS Logistics. Assistant transport manager for the company.
Steve Pickering, states that before installing CCTV systems and fences, the crime was occurring on a daily basis. He says: “It was getting ridiculous.”
Anyone with any information regarding the Grantham fuel theft is asked to call Lincolnshire Police on 01476 402222.
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