How a small UK village tracked down fuel-theft couple before police arrived

A small community in north Wales tracked down a couple who stole fuel from a local garage by spotting them at a pub and then following their van to a beach the next day until police arrived to make the arrest.

The BBC reported that Judith Troughton, 68, owner of Prysor Service Station near Trawsfynydd in Gwynedd, had been hit by three separate fuel thefts within six weeks before locals stepped in to help. After she posted images of the suspects' vehicles on Facebook, residents in the coastal town of Porthmadog took matters into their own hands.

The couple arrived at Judith's forecourt in two vans. One of them filled up the other van and both drove off without paying. They took £130 worth of fuel between them.

Once Judith shared the appeal online, locals spotted the pair outside a pub. Police were called but arrived after the couple had left. The next morning residents found them again at a nearby beach and kept watch until officers could reach them. The couple admitted what they had done and later paid for the stolen fuel.

Judith described the response from her community as extraordinary. She said the power of Facebook had proved itself and credited the tight-knit nature of the area for making the whole thing possible.

Her garage was not the only one struggling. Fuel thefts across the UK have risen by 62% compared with a year ago according to BBC figures. One forecourt owner told the BBC that drive-offs were costing him £2,000 a week across five sites.

Garage owner Gemma Newell in Mold, Flintshire described a theft where a passenger used a pump furthest from staff to fill up around £50 worth of fuel before driving off in a car fitted with fake number plates. CCTV could not identify the vehicle because the registration plates had been tampered with. She called it devastating and said margins at garages were already stretched to almost nothing after card charges, staffing and business rates.

Rising fuel prices linked to conflict in the Middle East have made the situation worse for both motorists and retailers. The RAC said pump prices could keep climbing if the situation does not resolve. Filling a typical family car with petrol has cost around £14 more than before while a diesel tank now costs roughly £27 extra.

Judith said small businesses like hers would be the first to go under if theft continued at this rate. She also noted that one of the three thieves who targeted her came back voluntarily to pay after breaking down nearby. He told her he had been desperate and had borrowed money to settle the debt.