Bilkers target Wolverhampton petrol stations more than 1,000 times

Since 2012, there have been 1,108 bilking crimes in the city.

The most frequently hit stations are Sainsbury's, Morrisons, BP, Shell and Tesco Express, including those on Cannock Road and Lichfield Road.

Drivers sped off without paying for fuel 175 times at Sainsbury's garages, followed by 167 occasions at Morrisons's pumps, 139 at BP and 158 at Tesco Express.

West Midlands Police said that in most cases, drivers put false number plates on their vehicles.

Spokesman Billy Corrigan said: "People need to be clear that driving off without paying for fuel is theft and the consequences are very serious.

"While encouraging businesses to take steps to minimise the likelihood of them becoming a victim - such as operating a pre-pay policy and installing good quality CCTV – we are also working hard to prevent licence plates being stolen by fitting anti-theft screws, as most crimes of this nature happen with cars using false plates.

"We also routinely share images of fuel theft suspects on our Flickr and Facebook pages so that people can help us track down offenders so that we can bring them before the courts."

In 2012, 407 people in Wolverhampton drove off without paying, which rose to 455 in 2013 and lowered to 334 in 2014.

Para Sivasuthan, who manages the Murco petrol station on Codsall Road, said those who steal petrol have a direct and instant impact on his business.

He said: "When people do this they tend to try and get away with a full tank, so that is around £40 a time.

"Here it happens roughly twice a month and when it does, we have to pay the petrol company out of our own money, so it affects us straight away.

"We have found that the police are very keen to try and stamp this out.

"They do good work to catch people who try and leave without paying, in the past they have caught them on the same day.

"In the future it would be nice to see a law introduced where people have to pay before they fill up but we get a lot of people who are so busy they literally come and go in seconds, so you don't want to lose customers by making them wait longer to get their petrol."