LizRenshaw

I have recently read an astonishing news article written by Michael Buchanan reporting that the number of petrol thieves has hit a record high in 2012!  Unbelievable...there have even been guidelines devised by the West Midlands police to try and spot potential “bilkers” to try and reduce this criminal activity. 

Statistics have shown that petrol prices have risen by 10% last year and 6p per litre in only the past month!! This is having dramatic affects on the economy, especially for the Transport and Logistics industry that needs fuel costs to be kept low.

It has been reported that motorists have been filling their vehicles up and driving off the forecourt the wrong way, or using excuses such as ‘I’ve forgotten my wallet’, their argument being petrol prices are far too high! The economic downturn has been hard on everyone, so why is it ok for these people to break the law? In the long run it’s going to affect the cost even more!

Last year the four leading UK supermarkets: Tesco, Asda, Sainsburys and Morrisons reported that they slashed their fuel prices by around 3p per litre in response to the 10% drop in crude oil prices. But, this has apparently not affected the bilking scenarios; Morrisons in Reading reported 12 "bilking" incidents in December and January alone... 

Supermarkets seem to be the easiest target! And still not as cheap as you may think!  Taking this all into consideration, this is what the government needs to urgently look into, in order to reduce this we need lower fuel prices...

Please let me know if or how it is affecting your business within the Transport and Logistics industry, and what your opinion is, as I would be interested to know your point of view.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12297225

            http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-16932539