ORGANISED fuel thieves are stealing petrol from filling stations in Bolton using ordinary-looking cars and stolen number plates.

Police believe an increase in the number of fuel thefts is linked to the recent steep rise in the price of petrol.

And they believe gangs using sophisticated methods to hide their tracks are behind the thefts.

Det Insp Dave Turner said: “There is a problem across the greater Manchester area, including Bolton, relating to drive-offs from petrol forecourts.

Clearly there is some sort of sophistication involved, given that number plates are being stolen from one place and then used to steal petrol elsewhere.”

Police are working with petrol stations to raise awareness of the problem and to catch those responsible.

The national average price of petrol is now 136.9p per litre.

Det Insp Turner added: “We do believe there is a correlation between drive-offs and a rise in petrol prices.

“Clearly, the people involved need to stop this activity.”

There were 5,677 recorded number plate thefts across Greater Manchester in the last two years.

The Bolton News reported last month that two bungling thieves were caught on CCTV running out of petrol and pushing their car onto the forecourt of a garage in Manchester.

The two men are also thought to be responsible for at least one drive-off theft from the Shell garage in Kay Street, Bolton.