Thieves target oil tanks

Hundreds of litres of heating oil have been stolen in the latest Powys fuel theft.

Dyfed-Powys Police said the latest incident happened in the Cefn Coch area of Llanrhaeadr Ym Mochnant.

Constable Bob Beaman, of Dyfed-Powys Police, said: "We are investigating the theft of a large amount of household heating oil from a tank at a rural property in Llanrhaeadr.

"The incident happened sometime over the last month and a half and is just the latest theft of hundreds of litres of oil to have happened in recent months."

Last month, police urged householders, farmers and business across the area to beware of fuel thieves due to a rising tide of crime due to the credit crunch.

Officers said domestic heating tanks, farm supplies and cars have all been targeted, while a growing number of motorists have been filling up at petrol stations and driving away without paying.

The force has received more than 60 reports of fuel thefts in 2008 and the number is still rising, despite regular warnings.

In October, 800 litres of home heating oil was stolen from a home in the Pennant Mellangell area of Llangynog, near Llanfyllin.

Constable Gareth Slaymaker, Newtown community safety officer, said: "The price of both diesel fuel and heating oil has been rising constantly over the previous months. This has led to increases in the theft of diesel from commercial vehicles and heating oil from storage tanks."