Hundreds of litres of heating oil stolen from homes

Police have warned people to protect their heating oil tanks after hundreds of litres were stolen from two homes in Norfolk.

A tank in Fakenham was targeted on 26 March, with 200 litres of oil taken, and approximately 600 litres was stolen from a tank in Hickling on Tuesday.

Norfolk Police is investigating and says it is putting out a reminder of its safety advice, given that oil prices continue to rise.

"Thieves can syphon fuel from tanks within minutes and a tank that isn't properly protected can be an easy target," it added.

It recommends hiding tanks, fitting them with a padlock or lockable cap, securing them in a cage and installing lockable gates, security lights and a camera.

An electronic gauge fitted to the tank would activate an alarm when the oil level drops, police added.

Some heating oil customers say their costs have doubled since the outbreak of the US-Israel war with Iran.

Last week, the county council announced it had £3m from the government's Crisis and Resilience Fund to support low-income residents who would otherwise be left without oil.

It said Norfolk had one of the largest numbers of oil-heated homes, with about 70,000 households reliant on the fuel for heating and hot water.

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