Leeds City Council has had thousands of litres of fuel for its fleet of vehicles stolen as prices rise with continued conflict in the Middle East.
The theft of 12,000 litres of diesel – worth at least £20,000 – took place at one of the authority’s depots late last month.
A spokesperson for Leeds City Council told The MJ: ‘We can confirm that a fuel theft took place at a council depot in Leeds in the early hours of March 22.’
‘Following the incident, council vehicles – including passenger transport minibuses – which would ordinarily have used the targeted depot for refuelling instead travelled to other fuel storage sites that we own,’ they added.
‘The theft had no knock-on impact on the operation of our fleet services, with fuel supplies now restored at the depot involved.’
It comes as tensions in the Middle East have interrupted the flow of oil and liquified natural gas through the Strait of Hormuz, driving up the price of fuel at the petrol pump.
A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said no suspect has yet been identified.
The MJ understands a smaller scale fuel theft at a different Leeds City Council depot also took place late last month.
Photo: © BJP7images / Shutterstock.com.
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