UK fuel theft surges as drive-offs hit forecourts hard

UK drivers have stolen almost £200,000 of fuel from petrol stations on average every day since the conflict with Iran pushed prices higher, industry analysis showed. Separate figures compiled for the BBC by Pay My Fuel found petrol theft had surged by 62% compared with a year earlier, while incidents of fuel taken without payment rose 20% in the five months after the conflict began on February 28.

The losses are hitting small forecourt operators hardest. One forecourt owner said drive-offs were costing him £2,000 a week across five sites, a bill that falls directly on retailers already dealing with volatile pump prices and thin margins. Another industry estimate put the cost of fuel theft at £1.2 million a week across forecourts, underlining how quickly unpaid fill-ups turn into a national cash drain when prices rise.

Retailers have also been facing a sharper human cost. Petrol and diesel staff said they had seen a jump in abuse as motorists reacted to high fuel prices linked to the war, turning routine transactions into flashpoints at the till and the pump. That added pressure matters because the value of each theft rises when fuel is more expensive, so the same number of drive-offs now inflicts a larger financial hit on operators.

Different industry calculations point to the same direction of travel. One set of figures put the value of daily thefts at almost £200,000 on average since the conflict began, while another said fuel theft was up 23% since the Iran war started. A further estimate said the value of stolen fuel had risen by 27% since February, and another put the increase at 48% because pump prices had climbed so sharply.

Pay My Fuel’s data, which fed the BBC figures, suggest the problem is no longer a minor nuisance for individual sites. With incidents up 20% in five months and theft values climbing faster than volumes, the squeeze on forecourts is coming from both sides: more drivers leaving without paying, and each stolen tank now worth much more at the pump.