WELCOME TO CLARE COLEMAN who joins Forecourt Trader as Assistant Editor, taking over from Amy Lanning who left last month to work on sister publication Convenience Store. Clare previously worked as a reporter on a local newspaper in Basingstoke and is looking forward to getting to grips with the petrol retailing industry.

A SURVEY BY MOTOR OIL BRAND SHELL HELIX has found that many motorists are neglecting to carry out basic car care checks on their vehicles. The online survey found that women were particularly forgetful when it came to carrying out easy maintenance checks such as tyres, oil and bulbs. Drivers were much better when it came to keeping their vehicles clean, with the vast majority of men and almost half of women washing their cars on a monthly basis. Simon Dunning, technical expert at Shell Helix, said that neglecting basic checks can impact on a vehicle’s safety and reliability and costs drivers more in the long run.

FORECOURTS IN GLOUCESTER have been on the alert after an increase in the number of drive-offs. Police recorded some 23 offences in September, much higher than usual for the area. The offences ranged from small amounts of petrol and diesel being taken to unusually large quantities.