Police in Suffolk have confirmed that they are investigating the theft of 150L of red diesel from a farm near the village of Metfield.

According to Suffolk Constabulary, police  received a report of a theft from a farm premises at Fressingfield Road, Metfield, sometime between 10:00pm on October 29 and October 30.

A spokesperson said that the "suspect/s damaged a red diesel tank and stole approximately 150L of red diesel."

Suffolk police are asking for anyone with any information or CCTV footage from the night to contact them, quoting crime reference number, 37/64153/26.

Diesel theft

Meanwhile, police officers in the neighbouring county of Essex have issued advice for rural residents on protecting their stores of diesel.

Inspector Terry Jacobs, of the Essex Police Rural Engagement Team, said the number of thefts has started to increase across the county and is likely to be linked to the current price of diesel.

He added: “We want to make people aware, particularly those working in the fields of agriculture and construction, of measures they can take to reduce the risk of diesel theft.

To reduce the opportunity for thieves to siphon off diesel, he recommended the following:

Keep tanks stored close to the property where you can see them;
If this is not possible, you should consider installing CCTV to watch over isolated tanks and restrict access with walls, fences and hedges;
Security lighting such as ‘dusk till dawn’ or motion detection lighting can also be an effective deterrent to thieves;
Where possible, secure tank caps with a lock and keep your vehicles locked, too;
Avoid installing a storage tank in an isolated area or outlying building;
Consider using a mobile bowser (tanker) kept in a secure place when not in use.

Inspector Jacobs also recommended checking the diesel level in tanks regularly.

"Look for any spilt fuel, marks on the locks or anything else suspicious," he said.

The inspector also called on people to report any thefts to the police.

"If it’s a crime in progress, ring 999," he said.

"Information you provide helps us to identify emerging crimes and develop operational tactics to tackle them."