A new report has shown a sharp rise in fuel thefts from filling stations in the last year.

Industry body the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) found a 61% increase in drive-off incidents at UK forecourts.

Drive-off incidents are occurrences in which a motorist fills up and makes no attempt to pay before leaving.

Figures for cases in Suffolk in 2022 are not yet known but Suffolk police received reports of 223 incidents in 2020, with a slight rise to 228 in 2021.

Earlier this week, Darren Briggs, chief executive of Ascona Group, which owns 59 filling stations across the UK, including one in Saxmundham, said: "We've had a huge increase of staff abuse at forecourt level.

"We're getting reports virtually every week of customers being quite abusive because of what they're seeing at the pole sign."

PRA executive director Gordon Balmer predicts that, if the current rate of drive-offs continues for the next 12 months, retailers will lose £25 million.

Mr Balmer added: "It's a really difficult issue at the moment, and on the increase."

The PRA report shows that cases in which drivers claim to be unable to pay for fuel they have already put in their vehicle costs the sector £16 million per year.

Added to the rising numbers of drive-off incidents, this reaches an annual cost of £41 million to the industry.

Mr Balmer also claimed that many police forces have said drive-off incidents are not criminal offences, but civil offences.

He said if the value of the crime comes to below £100, police will not deal with the problem, an issue Mr Balmer has personally raised with the Home Office.

The sharp increase in fuel thefts comes at a time of record-breaking highs for fuel prices.

Social media posts about potential protests on roads in Suffolk and Essex on Monday have also been circulating on social media.

Spokesmen for both Essex and Suffolk police forces said have been made aware.

Figures from data firm Experian show the average price of a litre of petrol in the East of England is 191.63p.

The average price of diesel in the East of England comes in at 199.31p per litre.

If you are a forecourt owner affected by fuel thefts, we want to hear from you. Get in touch by emailing the EADT Newsdesk at eadtnewsdesk@archant.co.uk and a member of the team will contact you.