Cheshire Police warning following 100 fuel thefts

Police have issued a warning to drivers filling up their car with fuel at petrol stations and driving away without paying

More than 100 reports of people filling up their cars without paying were reported in July, Cheshire Police said.

The force has issued a warning to drivers filling up their car with fuel at petrol stations and driving away without paying.

They said it was a criminal offence, and offenders could be caught using cameras across the road network.

Ch Supt Peter Crowcroft said: "We appreciate times are hard for everyone with the cost of living soaring."

He added: "However, we cannot stand by and allow a small minority of people to get away with the theft of fuel.

"This may seem trivial to some but as police, we have a job to do and if you are committing any type of crime, we will prosecute you."

He said there would be some "innocent cases" where drivers had left by mistake and then returned to make a payment, but said there were people who "purposely" filled a full tank of fuel and drove away with "no intention of paying for it".