Great work from our ANPR Hub to tackle fuel theft

Yesterday (Monday 10 February), a van linked with four fuel thefts in the space of two hours, using a number of different number plates, was identified by our ANPR Hub (Automatic Number Plate Recognition).

Here's how the incidents unfolded:

• At 6.30am, £275 worth of diesel was taken without payment from Sainsbury's petrol station in Huntington in York
• Not long after 8am, £279 worth of diesel was taken without payment from Tesco Express on High Street in Harrogate
• At 8.12am, £282 worth of diesel was taken without payment from Sainsbury's on Wetherby Road in Harrogate
• At 8.20am, £272 worth of diesel was taken without payment at the Esso Petrol Station on Wetherby Road in Harrogate

Once our ANPR Hub pieced together the intelligence reports, we identified the suspect vehicle - an old Ford transit van - travelling towards the border of Lancashire.

A patrol team located the vehicle but the suspects ran off and abandoned the vehicle - we recovered the van and in it was at least £1,000 worth of stolen fuel.

One of the people believed to be involved is described as being a white man, 5ft 8in tall, with a stocky build, short hair, wearing a black cap, dark jeans, black trainers with a white sole, black t-shirt, and a burgundy jumper.

We are appealing for any witnesses to any of these incidents or who may have seen the men once they had abandoned the van.

Please get in touch if you have any information that could help our investigation.

You can call North Yorkshire Police on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their website.

Please quote reference 12250025123 when passing on information.

Enquiries are ongoing to identify the suspects but the excellent investigate work our ANPR Hub completed in identifying the vehicle, means there's one less vehicle on our roads helping to facilitate crime.