
Rising fuel prices coupled with increasing boldness from drivers have led to the value of fuel drawn during no-means-of-payment (NMOP) incidents rise by 65%, while opportunism has seen motorists fill drinks bottles with fuel.
Comparing figures from the 50 days leading up to the Iranian conflict with the 50 after show no-means-of-payment losses have risen from £3,270 to £5,392 a day across 500 filling stations.
The number of NMOP incidents rose by 20% at the 500 sites, from 43 to 55 a day, while the volume of fuel taken was up 35%, from 2,214 to 2,990 litres.
Such behaviours see drivers fill up with fuel then enter a forecourt shop claiming to be unable to pay for it – a move that makes the practice a civil matter rather than the criminal offence drive-offs comprise.
Forecourt Eye, which compiled the figures, says the number of NMOP incidents carried out by first-time offenders – IE those not on its blacklist – now stands at 23%, up from 20% in March.
The firm also warns that drive-offs were up 10% over the 100-day period, and that organised thieves have been filling up large plastic containers concealed in vans before leaving the forecourt without entering the shop.

Michelle Henchoz, the firm’s managing director comments: “We have seen a concerning increase in vehicles arriving at forecourts equipped to take large volumes of fuel in a single visit, which strongly suggests it is being resold as part of an illicit fuel trade.
Gordon Balmer, executive director of the Petrol Retailers Association, says: “While we recognise the financial pressures many households are facing, this behaviour is having a direct and immediate impact on forecourt operators.
“This is not a victimless crime. When fuel is not paid for, the cost does not disappear, it is absorbed by the retailer and ultimately adds to the wider cost of running a forecourt.”
Balmer adds that many retailers ”are independent, family-run businesses operating on tight margins”, who “simply cannot absorb repeated losses without it affecting their ability to serve their local communities.”



















