A Limerick petrol station owner is calling for a crackdown on fuel theft after losing €40,000 through drive-offs this year alone.

Inver Petrol Station owner Shane Gleeson said he has seen "a big increase" in drivers filling up on fuel and driving away this year.

He said thieves are making off with up to €130 worth of petrol at a time, with his two petrol stations in Castletroy and Punches Cross losing out on around €20,000 a year.

He told Newstalk Breakfast that drivers are using fake plates to steal fuel, making it a "real difficulty" to track them down.

"We're now hitting the peak time because November/December last year was a nightmare for us, and it's the same issue this year," he said.

Mr Gleeson said thieves tend to steal fuel when the petrol station is busy.

"They never do it a quiet time, they do it deliberately and follow a crowd and then drive off," he said.

Fines

Mr Gleeson said tougher penalties are needed to deter fuel theft. 

"The kind of people who do this are doing it regularly and across the country," he said.

"When they are caught, there’s a fine is applied but the fine is never actually paid.

"And they collect multiple fines which they never pay"

The petrol station owner is calling on the Government to take fines "direct from [thieves'] social welfare source".

"If that was hitting them in the pocket then it might deter people from this kind of behaviour," he said.

Penalty points

Mr Gleeson said criminals who regularly steal fuel should be hit with penalty points, and ultimately, see their driving license revoked.

"If you’re using your car for a crime, then surely your ability to drive that car should be impacted," he said.

Criminals are currently stealing fuel with "impunity", according to Mr Gleeson.

"The reality is there's no penalty," he said. "The kind of people who do this on a regular basis don’t care about fines; there isn’t the room in prison to put them in."

Increase in fuel theft

According to Mr Gleeson, fuel theft has been on the rise in recent years.

He said the €40,000 loss he recorded this year is the highest he has seen, adding, “it wasn’t like this pre-COVID”.

He added that thieves using false plates to evade penalty is also "quite new".