Thieves strike as heating oil prices soar to over €900 for 500 litres

Gardaí in Galway have advised householders, farmers, contractors and businesses to put extra security measures in place to protect their fuel tanks as oil prices continue to soar this week.

Over the past week, two thefts of home-heating oil from tanks in the Moycullen area were reported to Gardaí – with fuel to a total value of over €1,000 stolen.

Locations such as schools which are closed at weekends are also ‘hot targets’ for the oil thieves – some of them using trailers with small tankers on board.

With the price of 500 litres home-heating oil reaching up to €930 in Galway on Wednesday of this week, Gardai have warned that such a hike in the value of fuel will encourage thieves to target household tanks. Just six weeks ago, a similar amount of oil would have cost €460.

Many oil suppliers have also put a 300-litre limit on deliveries of kerosene.

Galway Crime Prevention Officer, Sergeant Michael Walsh, told the Connacht Tribune that whenever any product significantly increased in value, it would always be a target for thieves.

He recommended that where possible, householders, farmers, school managers, contractors and business should consider the erection of a solid fence around their fuel supply tanks.

“At the end of the day a secure fence around the oil tank is the best protection. This can be a palisade fence, a block wall or a fuel tank cage – as long as it’s solid and difficult to breach, it will deter most thieves,” said Michael Walsh.

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