With prices at the pumps soaring, some motorists are attempting to beat the credit crunch by breaking the law and "bilking" – the name given to the offence of driving away from a petrol station without paying.
Today, police have released CCTV footage of drivers they want to speak to in connection with incidents at the BP Garage, at Kate's Cabin, Great North Road, Chesterton, near Peterborough.
The first in a line of payment dodgers filled up his dark Mercedes just before 1am on July 16.
Five days later, another Mercedes driver filled his white car just before 3.45pm, before making off without paying.
And a white Mercedes was also filled with diesel between 9.40pm and 9.50pm on August 1.
Three recent CCTV images of people police want to speak to following thefts at a petrol station
These were not isolated incidents, because the number of bilking offences in Peterborough has risen dramatically in the last few years.
In 2005, there were 261 offences, but this rose to 373 last year, a rise of more than 40 per cent. And by April this year, there had already been 170 offences.
After seeing the rise, many petrol stations were encouraged to sign up for the Forecourt Watch scheme, which was launched by Peterborough police in April 2007.
The scheme has seen garages provided with an information pack which offers them advice on how to report incidents of bilking, as well the means to complete statements and submit them to the police.
Police have also linked a number of number plate thefts in Peterborough to crafty attempts to get away with bilking. Some thieves who are determined to try and disguise their vehicles are stealing them from other people's cars and replacing their own plates before driving onto garage forecourts to get around being caught on CCTV cameras.
Detective Sergeant Jim Donington, from the crime and incident management unit at Thorpe Wood, said: "Police in Peterborough are working closely with the Business Against Crime partnership to monitor any potential correlation between increased fuel prices and related crimes.
"The Forecourt Watch scheme is also being reviewed to improve the evidence gathered against those committing offences."
A police spokesman added: "We would encourage the people in the photographs, or anyone who knows who the motorists are, to contact police to help with inquiries."
Anyone with information is asked to call police at Thorpe Wood police station on 0845 456 4564, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
The full article contains 432 words and appears in Peterborough ET newspaper.
