Northern Ireland

Petrol station drive-offs top £80,000 amid fury over PSNI scheme

One driver left a petrol station in Aughnacloy, Co Tyrone, without paying for more than £200 worth of petrol
One driver left a petrol station in Aughnacloy, Co Tyrone, without paying for more than £200 worth of petrol One driver left a petrol station in Aughnacloy, Co Tyrone, without paying for more than £200 worth of petrol

MOTORISTS in Northern Ireland have driven off from petrol stations without paying for more than £80,000 worth of fuel in the past three years.

One driver left a filling station in Aughnacloy, Co Tyrone owing more than £200 for petrol.

The figures were revealed amid criticism of a PSNI pilot scheme that leaves retailers responsible for tracing drivers who do not pay.

Police said research shows up to 85 per cent of drive-offs are "genuine mistakes" that do not require their input.

But some petrol station owners have accused police of "washing their hands" of the problem.

Police records of drive-offs between between 2013 and November 2015 were obtained by The Irish News through a freedom of information request.

Drivers left forecourts almost 2,700 times over the period and the amount of fuel not paid for totalled more than £83,000.

It was the equivalent of around 20 reports of drive-offs a week, costing more than £500 in fuel.

The police pilot scheme was introduced earlier this month in two policing districts – Lisburn and Castlereagh, and Ards and North Down.

David Cardwell, who runs a petrol station in Portavogie, Co Down, said it means retailers must pay £2.50 for information on a car from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).

He said they then have to write to the driver, and if they don't pay up take civil action through the courts.

Accusing police of "washing their hands" of the problem, he said: "They are not giving us any back-up at all with it, they said they haven't got the manpower to address it.

"If someone drives off with £10 of fuel then we have to add £2.50 onto it. It's not worth chasing someone up for that, we'll probably just have to write it off," he told the BBC.

UUP Lagan Valley MLA Jenny Palmer called for the pilot to be scrapped.

"This is quite frankly a disgraceful scheme and it can only lead to an increase in theft as petty criminals will take advantage of the huge amount of red tape which petrol retailers will have to trawl through to get their money back," she said.

DUP councillor Robert Adair also urged the PSNI to withdraw the scheme to allow for consultations with businesses.

The PSNI said helping petrol stations recover civil debts was placing a "substantial but preventable burden" on police resources.

"The purpose of this pilot is to remove much of that burden and free up local police time to deal with criminality, identify and apprehend offenders and keep people safe," a spokesman said.

He added that the scheme would be subject to an "ongoing review" to assess the impact on policing in the pilot districts.

In August 2014, DUP East Antrim MP Sammy Wilson resolved a fuel bill with a Coleraine filling station after being reported to police for driving away without paying.

Mr Wilson said staff forgot to charge him and he did not realise until he received a phone call.