Pipeline hack charges

Three men have been remanded in jail after being charged with hacking into Valero’s oil pipeline running under Pembrokeshire, and stealing thousands of litres of fuel. Romanians Constantin Dumitrescu, Iulian Neacsu and Nicolae Petre are charged with digging down to the pipeline in the village of Martletwy on November 1, and of breaking into the line and extracting 3,000 litres of diesel.

Wheddon Cross sale

Specialist business property adviser Christie & Co has assisted with the sale of Wheddon Cross petrol filling station in Minehead, Somerset, in an off-market deal. The business, located on the B3224 with direct access to Taunton and Minehead features a petrol forecourt and 2,500sq ft convenience store.

Applegreen deal

Applegreen plc has announced that it has entered into a conditional agreement to acquire a 50% share in the Joint Fuels Terminal in Dublin port from the Topaz Energy Group for a consideration of 15.7m which will be funded from existing resources.

Diesel forecast gloom

Sales of diesel could plummet from 50% of fuel for cars to just 10% by 2025, according to a report by banking and financial services group UBS. It forecasts that diesel faces a "perfect storm" of competition from cheaper electric cars and a tougher regulatory approach to emissions following the VW scandal.

New car sales record

The UK new car market notched up another record year in 2016, with annual registrations climbing for the fifth successive year to almost 2.7 million, according to figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).