Merridale has warned hauliers of an increase in fuel theft, particularly a rise in large-scale organised crime targeting on-site storage bunkers.
It said these thefts are far more sophisticated now and involve long-term planning, resources, and a vehicle capable of transporting the large volumes being stolen.
The company said it has seen several vehicle operators fall victim to bulk fuel theft over recent months, suffering a total loss between them of approximately 250,000 litres.
Merridale technical director John Russell said: “Evidence shows that after selecting a target storage tank, the thieves will set up first by drilling an access hole into the side or top of the tank. This will then be disguised to avoid detection. They will then return at a later date, equipped with a suitable vehicle and the equipment required to extract the fuel.
“Pipework will be laid through undergrowth and shrubland for hundreds of metres to an out-of-the-way location suitable for operating the pumping equipment and accessible to the vehicle.”
Criminals will then pump out several thousand litres at night, and return every two or three nights to repeat the process, he continued, with tanks at the perimeter of a site most at risk.
To combat this, a full Merridale package includes a high-accuracy tank management system. This, combined with the Merridale FuelWorks service, can provide warnings of any unauthorised or unexpected drop in the contents level of the bulk storage tank.
If a theft appears to be in progress, FuelWorks will send real-time alerts by both email and text message, to designated personnel. These alerts will continue periodically until the stock level has stopped dropping.
