Sheffield couple left enraged after thieves ‘drilled and drained’ tank with £100 of diesel from their van

A woman, who declined to be named, said her partner's van, which was parked on Cowper Avenue in Grenoside, had the "fuel tank drilled and drained" on Tuesday, in the second such incident in three years.

She said the van had over £100 worth of diesel in it and she suspected the recent jump in fuel prices was the cause behind it.

She then shared the incident on Facebook, with many people pointing out that a van has more fuel capacity than a regular car.

She said: "That seems likely as it makes it more of a commodity which can be sold on. The comments on my post from other people suggest that vans get targeted because they have more fuel than a normal car."

Asked if she reported it to the police, she said: "We don't report it to the police because there's obviously nothing they can do."

Why is fuel so expensive?

In recent weeks, fuel prices have reached all-time highs, and despite a reduction in fuel duty and a drop in oil prices, they have not fallen as quickly as drivers would like.

Global supply issues, market uncertainty and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have contributed to near-daily price rises and the soaring cost of fuel has contributed to the current cost of living crisis, which has seen inflation near a near-30-year high.

Fuel prices fluctuate on a daily basis and vary significantly across the UK and experts have warned car owners that they are likely to see increase in fuel theft.