Mason Moore | Hinckley Reporter | 7 April 2022

INTRUDERS were unsuccessful in their attempts to steal fuel from Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council’s depot after they were caught on camera by motion sensors.

The thieves snuck on to the site of the Borough Council’s depot, based on Gresham Road in the Bermuda Park Industrial Park, last weekend (Saturday, 3 April to Sunday, 4 April).

At first, they managed to take a ‘small’ quantity of the fuel from the site.

But, before they could act any further, they were caught by motion-sensitive CCTV cameras which detected them, alerting both site security guards and police officers down to the scene.

“The prompt response helped ensure the operation wasn’t successful”, explained a Council spokesperson in a statement issued to the Hinckley Free Press.

As a result of the attempted theft, paraphernalia associated with syphoning fuel – such as pipes and containers – were found abandoned on-site last Sunday (3 April).

Kevin Hollis, Director of Public Services at the Borough Council, believes that the attempted theft may have been caused as fuel prices have gone up.

He explained: “Other council depots in the region are reporting similar incidents, presumably linked to the price hike that we have all seen in fuel costs in recent weeks.

“Security measures are in place and they have prevented thieves escaping with the amount of fuel they would have been hoping for.

“We will continue to monitor other safeguards and preventative measures that might be needed, but it is good to see those we currently have in place have been effective.”

In a statement, it was confirmed that the Council are now working with Warwickshire Police.

And now, as a result of the incident, regular patrols are to be carried out on-site at the depot.