Gardai are warning petrol station owners of an increase in drive-offs.
The warning comes after a number of incidents occurred in North Cork.
In the space of two hours, two cars drove off without paying for their fuel at a service station.
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One didn’t pay for €100 worth of fuel, the other €95.
Gardai fear as fuel prices continue to rise this could lead to an increase in this type of crime.
Speaking to Patricia Messinger on C103's Cork Today Show, Sergeant John Kelly of Fermoy Garda Station said the warning was especially important to petrol stations in isolated areas.
He suggested that an option of paying before you fill could be considered by owners should be considered by owners.
That way “a person knows if they're getting €60 well they pay for their €60 in the shop and they fill up their €60 and they can't get any more.”
Messenger questioned if CCTV can pick up the culprits, but Sergeant Kelly explained that many may have false fake number plates.
If these drive-offs continue, owners of petrol stations will experience significant losses as the profit margin on petrol sales is small.
As Sergeant Kelly said: “There are some places that are making way more money from their coffee machine than they are from their petrol pumps.”
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