Willenhall haulage firm £15,000 down after fuel thefts

A haulage firm in Willenhall has been left more than £15,000 out of pocket after being repeatedly targeted by fuel thieves, prompting bosses to step up security.

There have been 11 raids where diesel has been siphoned from RK Transport Services since the start of the year – including four in the past two months. Bosses say they have now put in a £4,000 security system.

Company director Steve Kibble said: "It's happened about 11 times since Christmas. The last four or five times they have taken between 200 and 1,000 litres of diesel.

"We've spent £4,000 on an alarm system. It seems to have stopped at the moment so we are keeping our fingers crossed that it has worked."

He said thieves had stolen about £15,000 worth of diesel from lorries at the Temple Bar firm through repeated attacks this year. Bosses say more cash has had to be spent on repair costs and security.

The company had originally planned to apply for planning permission to put up a three-metre fence to secure the site and stop thieves scaling a wall, but bosses opted for an alarm system instead.

Mr Kibble said: "It's probably cost us £22,000 in all this year with loss of fuel, repairs and the security system.

"The new alarm system has sensors so we can tell if anyone's there.

"We've had no trouble since it's been put in.

"Business is thriving and we are doing really well at the moment. It was just the diesel theft keeping us down and eating into our profits."

The firm, which has been running for more than 25 years, had more than £800 worth of diesel siphoned from lorries in May.

Less than two weeks before, over 800 litres of diesel, worth more than £1,000, had been siphoned.

Anyone who may have seen anything suspicious is urged to call the non-emergency police number, 101, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.