The Automotive Blog

Determined to prevent fuel theft becoming a problem for its 250-strong vehicle fleet, R Swain & Sons Ltd recently became the latest large transport company to begin fitting TP Anti Syph units to its vehicles.

Although the company says fuel theft was only an occasional problem that occurred from time to time whilst vehicles were parked-up in lay-bys and truck parks, it was nevertheless keen to stamp it out altogether. The only problem to date with this plan was that it had been unable to find a device that worked effectively and that didn’t interfere with daily operations in the process.

Commenting on the decision, Barry Miller, the company’s Workshop Manager, said: “We were starting to use a competitor product when the TP Anti Syph had claimed to have the solution we were looking for, so we decided to give them a try.

“I was immediately impressed at how easy the TP Anti Syph units were to fit and delighted the units could be quickly transferred from fuel tank to fuel tank without damaging the tank neck. But most of all, I liked the fact that they stopped fuel theft immediately and didn’t in any way interfere with fuel filling operations. We have a fast filling pump here and the units cope well with its speed. There is never any splashback, nor any spillage.

In the week when a leaked letter from the Home Office predicted that as the credit crunch bites, the levels of crime in the country could rise, the police in Lincolnshire have revealed that fuel siphoning has risen by 30% in the county in the past three months. The Home Office research said that as the economy takes a downturn, crime is likely to go up.

It points out that in the last recession, violent crime increased by 19%, something that Home Office minister Tony McNulty describes as “blindingly obvious”.

The evidence of how a slow economy can impact on crime figures is all too clear to see in Lincolnshire, where poilce expect fuel siphoning to continue rising as winter approaches. This warning comes after the theft of 250 litres of diesel from a foreign lorry, which was parked up on the A1 at Dry Doddington, near Grantham.

The fuel was stolen from the Volvo tractor unit as the Hungarian driver slept, between 11pm on Friday 22 August and 5am the following morning. A spokesman for Lincolnshire Police claims that fuel siphoning between May and August has risen 30%, compared to the same period in 2007. “There has been more of a problem since the hike in fuel prices and it will be more common in the winter with longer, darker nights. Drivers must avoid isolated lay-bys.”

Other firms in Lincolnshire have fallen victim to fuel siphoning, such as Swineshead-based HS Logistics. Assistant transport manager for the company.

Steve Pickering, states that before installing CCTV systems and fences, the crime was occurring on a daily basis. He says: “It was getting ridiculous.”

Anyone with any information regarding the Grantham fuel theft is asked to call Lincolnshire Police on 01476 402222.

 

To help protect against fuel theft and siphoning please review the TP Anti Syph and FuelKeep @ www.aideautomotive.com