Incidents of fuel taken without payment have risen by 20 percent in the UK since the start of the Iran conflict. Drivers are now estimated to steal around £194,000 worth of petrol and diesel daily. Data from Forecourt Eye shows the increase occurred over five months from February 28, when Middle East tensions disrupted supplies and raised wholesale prices. The value of stolen fuel grew by 48 percent compared with the prior period. The analysis drew on a sample of 550 forecourts and was scaled to all 8,359 UK stations. Daily thefts now average 2,872 cases, up from about 2,400 before the conflict. These include drivers leaving without paying and customers unable to settle after refuelling. The volume of stolen fuel rose 24 percent, from 87,000 litres to 108,900 litres per day. Staff have faced more aggression, with reports of abuse, intimidation and violence. Forecourt Eye has partnered with Facewatch to give over 2,000 retailers free access to crime reporting tools from autumn. Fuel prices peaked in April, eased after a June framework deal between the US and Iran, then rose again after talks collapsed. Petrol hit its highest level since 2022 last week. Similar theft spikes followed the 2022 Russia-Ukraine war. Chancellor John Healey said the government would act if motorists were overcharged due to the conflict. No widespread price gouging was found, though the Competition and Markets Authority is examining margin increases at two supermarkets and three other retailers between February and March. The British Retail Consortium attributed stable prices to supermarket competition and noted higher operating costs from National Insurance, packaging taxes and business rates.
