Diesel thief faces fuel bill and loss of vans

Two vans were seized and a driver arrested after trying to get away without paying for fuel at a North Yorkshire petrol station.

Just after 7am on Thursday 1 December 2022, police received a report that a vehicle had made off from the Coneygarth services, off the A1(M).

Two Ford Transit vans had entered the forecourt together, and one had left without paying for more than £122 of diesel.

Using ANPR technology, North Yorkshire Police officers began searching for the two vehicles, and at 10.30am they were spotted heading south on the A1(M), and brought to a stop on the A168 just outside Wetherby.

One of the drivers, a 24-year-old man, was arrested, and both vans were recovered by police - one for having no insurance, the other for no tax.

The driver was taken to custody, and issued with a police caution, including a requirement to pay back the fuel bill in full.