With petrol and diesel...
With petrol and diesel nearing ÷£1 a litre, criminals are fitting fake number plates to their vehicles, filling up at the pumps and then driving off without paying - leaving no trace of their identity.
The scam has come to light as petrol firms and the police announced they are working on a database of vehicles that have already "done a runner" - with or without false plates. This archive will rely in part on the spread of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras, which are already used at around 300 petrol stations in the UK.
Kevin Eastwood, of industry group the British Oil Security Syndicate, said: "ANPR cameras are effective in cutting this crime." He explained the technology works by scanning each car"s plate, and alerting staff if there"s "a vehicle of interest". The driver can then be told he must pre-pay for the fuel he requires.
The proposed register would include details of persistent "no means of payment" vehicles, where the driver tells the cashier he has no money, and gives false details when promising to return.
Offending vehicle databases already exist, but they are specific to the various individual manufacturers of ANPR equipment. "A system that links these is at least a year away," added Eastwood.
nUK drivers are beating soaring fuel prices by filling up in France, according to P&O Ferries. Service stations across the Channel report booming trade from Brits buying diesel, which costs 76p per litre. It"s now nudging ÷£1 at garages here.