Heating oil theft reported in Devon

25 February 2008

Theft of heating oil has been reported by residents in Mid Devon.

Police in the area are warning homeowners to be vigilant against a group of criminals who have been stealing the commodity, thisisexeter.co.uk reports.

Those who own fuel tanks should ensure they are properly secured as the group are targeting oil reserves in remote areas, the police stated.

So far, the thieves have managed to steal thousands of litres of heating oil from unwitting residents.

Four homes have fallen victim to the scam over the last three months, with the latest incident taking place last Saturday when the criminals were disturbed by security lighting.

The local police force has suggested use of security lighting among other ideas to help deter the thieves.

This latest spate of theft follows last week's news that several households in Northern Ireland have been the victim of heating oil stealing.

Rising oil prices have been blamed as one reason behind the increasing incidents of the crime.

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