UUP issues fuel theft warning
Mr Robert Carmichael, the East Londonderry Ulster Unionist Party Association Chairman, has pledged that the local association will be campaigning for tougher sentences for those found guilty of home heating fuel thefts.
Mr Carmichael, speaking on behalf of the UUP association, said that fears of a shortage because of the wars in Ukraine and Iran, coupled with the heavier use of fuel during any cold spell, was already putting pressure on prices.
Mr Carmichael said the price of heating oil had risen considerably in recent weeks, adding that heating oil and red diesel were both essential to rural communities.
This fact could push some families, who were already on the breadline of the cost of living crisis, even deeper into a poverty trap, forcing them to make a choice of either heating their homes or cooking food.
“With many families facing the financial challenges of the cost of living crisis, they do not need the worry of having to make a choice of ‘heat or eat’.
“It is clear that when the price of oil goes up, rural thieves quickly respond by targeting it. People need to be on the alert for such rural crime. When such thieves strike, they could cost victims up to £1,500, for example, in lost fuel in a single raid.
“Thieves have also been known to return for a second time to steal replacement fuel, hitting rural homeowners and businesses twice as they pay for replacement heating oil or diesel and clean-up costs because of damaged tanks.
“Thieves will often damage tanks in the process of removing the fuel. Leaking oil or diesel can contaminate the soil and water courses and the property owner may then be responsible for any specialist clean-up operation.
“Bearing these consequences in mind, it is essential the rural communities remain vigilant for such criminals.
“We in the local UUP association are also urging the Stormont Justice Minister to allow the courts to introduce very stiff new penalties for anyone caught in fuel thefts,” said Mr Carmichael.