| Security
Calor warns: Don’t be left in the dark about oil theft
With the onset of winter and longer, dark nights, now is the ideal time for thieves to target oil tanks. Calor is therefore
urging the farming community to ensure its fuel is safe, after statistics showed that the theft of heating oil is on the rise.
ccording to a recent
survey, a total of 7,027 fuel
related thefts occurred in
the UK during the period
2011-2013, and 74 per cent
of police forces saw the
crime figures rise in 2013.
Research by UK farming insurer
NFU Mutual also found that rural
theft cost an estimated £44.5m in
the UK during 2013 – up 5.2 per
cent on the previous year, with oil
being ranked the third most
commonly targeted item. The
study also found that items such
as machinery, tractors and even
livestock are a prime target.
A
In the farmhouse, off-grid gas
delivers all the conveniences of
mains gas, to provide on
demand heating and hot water,
a real, controllable flame for
cooking or a gas fire. LP gas
can be used to fuel a gas range
or AGA in the kitchen.
To help farmers secure their
fuel, Calor recommends the switch
to LP gas. Not only is gas much
less of a target for thieves, there is
also a greater security of supply.
Paul Madge, of Calor, said:
“These figures demonstrate the
serious issue of theft for farmers
living in off-grid, rural areas. This
is a group that is especially at risk
as a farm is not only a place of
work - it is often a home too,
making the effects of oil theft even
more of a problem.
This means farmers need to
take extra care to secure fuel and
other items in farm buildings to
avoid theft.
“Heating oil is easy to target as
tanks are quite large, and thieves
need only to trespass onto the
www.farmingmonthly.co.uk
property, pierce the tank and then
siphon off the oil. This can be very
costly, and if the tank is damaged
it’s likely that it will need to be
replaced.
In addition to lost oil, there may
be spillages, which can cost many
thousands of pounds to rectify. In
fact, the UK Environment Agency
quotes that on average, an oil spill
costs a typical business up to
£30,000 in fines, clean up charges
and production losses.
“Farmers that are unlucky
enough to have oil stolen don’t
just have the financial implications
to worry about. They can also be
left with no fuel and unable to
provide heat or hot water for their
home, which, at the coldest time of
the year is felt even more keenly.
“While these figures seem
alarming, there is an alternative. In
comparison to oil, gas is virtually
impossible to steal, as it would
require specialist equipment to be
extracted from the tank. Gas tanks
can also be hidden underground
making them more difficult to spot.
Continuity of supply is another
benefit of switching to Calor. The
company has the UK’s largest
tanker fleet and gas storage
facilities, and tanks from Calor also
feature advanced telemetry
systems that automatically order a
gas delivery, so there is no reason
to run out of fuel.
Farmers wishing to learn more
about LP gas and the current
promotions available for switching
their off-grid fuel should contact
Calor on 0800 085 5023.
About LPG
For farms in off-grid areas, LPG
can be viewed as the rural
equivalent of natural gas providing a clean, low carbon and
versatile energy source. It can be
used in a number of farming
applications such as heating
poultry sheds or greenhouses,
drying crops or burning weeds. It
can also be used to power on-site
incinerators for a simple, safe and
compliant disposal solution for
animal waste.
In the farmhouse, off-grid gas
delivers all the