More than 1,100 fuel thefts in the West Midlands in three months - but no prosecutions

Figures released by West Midlands Police under a freedom of information request show there were 1,150 reports to the force between January and March.

Walsall had the most thefts in the Black Country with 200 offences recorded, while there were also 111 in Sandwell, 89 in Wolverhampton and 54 in Dudley.

The majority of reports were made in the Birmingham area, with 274 in the west of the city and 264 in the east. Others crimes were reported in the Solihull and Coventry areas.

But the figures show that in 681 cases no suspect was identified, while there were 'evidential difficulties' in 445 cases.

In 24 cases, the outcome of the crime was not recorded.

It comes as prices of fuel rose by record levels in recent weeks.

According to the RAC the average UK price for unleaded petrol on April 13 was £1.62-a-litre while diesel was £1.76.

This was slightly down on record highs seen in March, where average pump prices hit 167.3p per litre for petrol and 179.9p for diesel, and comes after Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced 5p-a-litre cut to fuel duty.

Simon Foster, the Labour Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands, highlighted the lack of officers compared to 10 years ago but said he would be raising the issue with the region's most senior officer.

He said: “It’s staggering that already this year there have been more than 1,000 crimes recorded, involving people in our region who have chosen to fill up their vehicles at the pump and simply drive off without paying for their fuel.

“West Midlands Police doesn’t have anywhere near the number of officers it had a decade ago.

"However, I will be speaking to the Chief Constable to seek reassurance that West Midlands Police is doing what is necessary to ensure that people who engage in this criminal activity are held to account for their actions.”

Earlier this month, Staffordshire Police also reported a spike in the number of people driving off without paying for fuel.

Police said the people responsible were often tampering with number plates and covering their faces before filling up and fleeing.

Chief Inspector David Wain, of Staffordshire Police, said: “More often than not, suspects will seek to conceal their identity by covering their faces with masks and hoods and using the furthest possible pump from view.

“Vehicle registration plates may also be tampered with or cloned in an attempt to stop the offender from being identified."

Fuel prices first started rising due to high global demand as the UK began to come out of the coronavirus crisis.

But the war in Ukraine has pushed up prices even higher, largely down to sanctions of the imports of Russian-sourced oil.