Almost £200,000 of fuel stolen from UK forecourts every day since Iran war began

Since the Iran war began on February 28, UK drivers have stolen an estimated £194,000 worth of fuel daily on average from petrol stations, according to industry analysis. Fuel theft incidents have increased by 20% in the five months since the conflict started, as reported by Forecourt Eye. The conflict disrupted oil supplies, causing a surge in wholesale prices and subsequent costs at the UK pump.

Forecourt Eye's estimate shows a 48% rise in the value of stolen fuel compared with the five months preceding the war, reaching £194,000 daily. Forecourt Eye also noted an alarming increase in "abuse, intimidation, and violence from frustrated customers" at petrol stations, with 2,872 daily incidents reported in the sample, up from around 2,400.

The volume of stolen fuel rose by 24%, from 87,000 to 108,900 litres daily across all UK forecourts. In response, Forecourt Eye plans to partner with facial recognition company Facewatch to provide free crime reporting technology to over 2,000 retailers. Fuel prices peaked during April before falling back following the June peace deal, but have since risen again.

Fuel theft has also increased since the Russia-Ukraine war in early 2022. The government has vowed to take action against any price gouging, but no evidence of widespread fuel price-gouging has been found. Critics, including Sir Keir Starmer and some of his ministers, have accused the government of "inflammatory language," while fuel retailers deny accusations of price gouging.