Grantham bin lorry diesel theft prompts council to step up security

Leonard Frankish, 65, stole more than £40,000 worth of diesel from South Kesteven District Council

A Lincolnshire council has stepped up its fuel security after a refuse lorry driver stole £40,000 worth of diesel.

Leonard Frankish, 65, from Grantham, was given an eight-month suspended jail sentence after he admitted stealing fuel from the lorry he drove.

The South Kesteven District Council worker had been syphoning diesel from the fuel tank and selling it on at a profit.

The council said the measures would help prevent it happening again.

Frankish, of Princess Drive, was sentenced to eight months in jail, suspended for 18 months.

He was also ordered to pay back the cost of the fuel, which he stole over a five-year period.

A proceeds of crime hearing at Lincoln Crown Court in March was told Frankish made a total of £42,352 from selling the fuel.

In response to the theft, the council said it was limiting employees' access to diesel, and any vehicles with "unusual mileage" would be "flagged up".

Anti-syphoning devices have also been fitted to all vehicles, and additional CCTV cameras have been installed, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A report into the theft is due to go before the council's Governance and Audit Committee in June.