Eighty-five percent of fuel thefts from petrol stations in South Yorkshire go without prosecutions being made a Freedom of Information has revealed.
South Yorkshire Police said they are working to improve the rate of thefts which have topped 10,000 in the last four years.
The BBC report:
In 2011 there were 1,910 reported fuel thefts from petrol stations in South Yorkshire, of which 289 cases were detected by police.
Charges were brought over 124 of the thefts, with the remaining 165 offences resulting in a caution or warning, or being taken into consideration.
Collette Bates, who manages a petrol station in Sheffield, said: “We only make about 3 or 4p a litre on fuel… so if they’re stealing £30 or £40 worth of fuel a day we’re not making any profit, we’re losing all the time.