Motorists across the United Kingdom have stolen fuel worth almost £200,000 a day from petrol stations on average since the Iran war triggered a sharp rise in pump prices, according to new analysis by Forecourt Eye.
The fuel theft prevention company said incidents of motorists taking fuel without paying have increased by 20 per cent in the five months since February 28, when the conflict broke out, compared with the previous five months.
The war in the Middle East severely disrupted oil supplies across the region, pushing up wholesale prices and leading to higher fuel costs for motorists across the UK.
Forecourt Eye estimated that the value of stolen fuel has risen by 48 per cent over the period, reaching an average of £194,000 every day.
The company also said petrol stations have reported an increase in “abuse, intimidation and violence from frustrated customers”.
The findings were based on data collected from a representative sample of 550 forecourts and extrapolated across the UK’s 8,359 petrol stations.
According to the analysis, an estimated 2,872 fuel theft incidents now occur daily across the country, up from around 2,400 before the conflict began.
The incidents include motorists driving away without attempting to pay, as well as customers claiming they had no means of payment after filling up.
The volume of stolen fuel also rose by 24 per cent, increasing from an estimated 87,000 litres to 108,900 litres every day.
In response to the growing problem, Forecourt Eye announced a partnership with facial recognition company Facewatch to provide more than 2,000 retailers with free access to crime-reporting technology from the autumn.
Fuel prices peaked in April before easing after the United States and Iran agreed to a framework aimed at ending the conflict in June. However, prices have risen again following the collapse of peace talks.
Last week, petrol prices reached their highest level since the Middle East conflict began and their highest point since 2022.
Forecourt Eye noted that a similar rise in fuel theft occurred after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022.
The latest figures come after Chancellor John Healey pledged over the weekend that the government would act if businesses exploited the Iran war to unfairly raise fuel prices.
Speaking to the Sunday Telegraph, Healey said there was no significant evidence of price gouging but that he would be “watching closely” for any indication that consumers were being “taken for a ride at the pump or the till”.
Earlier this year, former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and some members of his government said they would intervene if motorists were being overcharged by fuel retailers.
The remarks sparked criticism from the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA), which rejected claims of price gouging and described the government’s comments as “inflammatory language”.
In May, the Competition and Markets Authority said it had found no widespread evidence of price gouging in the weeks following the outbreak of the conflict.
However, the regulator said it was investigating why fuel margins increased between February and March at two supermarket chains and three non-supermarket retailers.
The PRA declined to comment on Healey’s latest remarks.
Responding separately, the British Retail Consortium said competition between supermarkets had kept prices as low as possible rather than government intervention.
The organisation added that higher National Insurance contributions, increased packaging taxes and unreformed business rates had also pushed up retailers’ operating costs.
“Despite these pressures, retailers will continue to do everything they can to deliver great value for customers,” said Andrew Opie, BRC director of food and sustainability.
