UK forecourts lose nearly £200,000 of fuel daily amid Iran conflict

Industry monitor Forecourt Eye estimates that UK forecourts are losing an average of £194,000 each day to fuel theft since the Iran war erupted on 28 February, representing a 48% rise in value compared with the preceding five months. The analysis, based on a representative sample of 550 stations and projected to the country's 8,359 forecourts, shows a 20% increase in unpaid-fuel incidents, now averaging 2,872 daily cases.

The volume of stolen fuel has climbed 24% to roughly 108,900 litres per day. Operators report heightened abuse, intimidation and occasional violence from customers upset by soaring pump prices, which have fluctuated sharply after the conflict and subsequent peace-talk failures. In response, Forecourt Eye will partner with facial-recognition firm Facewatch to provide over 2,000 retailers with free access to crime-reporting technology from the autumn. The story follows similar theft spikes after the Russia-Ukraine war and follows recent political remarks about possible price-gouging, which retailers and regulators have disputed.