Domestic heating oil theft on the increase

18 November 2008

Home heating oil theft is continuing to be a problem in the rural Test Valley despite a decline in prices and residents have been urged to step up security measures to protect their storage tanks.

Sergeant Glenn Curtis has advised home heating oil customers to fasten their tanks with a crop proof padlock and a lock on the filler cap, This is Hampshire reports.

People should plant thorny defensive shrubs around their tanks, he said, and ensure that access via the driveway is restricted.

The area's oil tank thieves have been travelling around the countryside looking for easy targets and have stolen as much as 500 litres in one go, which suggests they are using suitable transport.

Meanwhile, police in Harrogate have warned residents to be on their guard against domestic oil thieves.

Chief Inspector Barry Smith told the Knaresborough Post: "With the onset of cold winter weather, dark nights and the current financial climate, we want to minimise the risk to our communities from this type of crime."

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