Police are appealing for witnesses and asking residents in rural rears to be vigilant following the theft of approximately 300 litres of heating fuel. The fuel was taken from a tank located within the garden of a rural property near Turriff between 17 November and 22 December 2022.

Anyone with information can contact the Police on 101 or via Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting incident number 975 of 24 December 2022.

North East Division Crime Reduction Officer Constable Urquhart said ‘Heating oil tanks have the potential to store thousands of pounds worth of fuel, and are often located in remote areas – this can make them an attractive target for thieves. With spiralling oil and gas costs we can expect to see an increase in this type of crime. Being a victim of heating oil theft is a costly, inconvenient and upsetting experience.

In order to steal heating oil, thieves will usually decant, syphon or pump oil from your tank into other containers. Thieves might use this oil themselves, or sell it on.’

Advice regarding home security can be found at www.scotland.police.uk