POLICE in Tavistock this week issued an urgent warning to residents, following a spate of heating oil thefts.

With the price of fuel increasing, police say people with oil tanks at their property are at a high risk of being targeted by thieves.

Mary Tavy resident Nicky Watts had fuel stolen from the tank on her property three times last year, with a loss totalling around £1,500. The loss meant she was unable to take her two children on a summer holiday.

She now believes that her fuel is being stolen again.

Nicky said: 'I put in 800 litres the week before Christmas, which should last right up until spring, but by the first week in January the tank was completely empty.

'There is no way we could have used that much fuel — even if we had the heating on all day and all night.'

Nicky said she believed she saw the thief on the last occasion.

She said: 'He was dressed in a makeshift postman's uniform in blue shorts, blue shirt, a high visibility jacket, baseball cap and clip-board. I know my two local postmen but thought he might be a stand-in.

'I saw him go round the back of the garage and thought he might be spending a penny, so I called the Post Office, but they said they didn't have any stand-ins and told me to call the police.

'He has been spotted around the village by other people.

'The thefts happened three times in three weeks and it cost me over £1,500 in oil to replace it.

'We didn't get our family holiday and the kids were really upset — it is a knock-back every time.'

Nicky said that PCSO Dave Chapple at Tavistock Police Station has visited and parked a police van outside her house.

Nicky said she knows of at least eleven other residents around Mary Tavy and Brentor that have had fuel stolen. She said the thefts were 'gutting'.

'What can you do?' she said.

'If you put a padlock on top of the tank like you're supposed to do, they will just drill a hole in the side of the tank. They are calculated and clever.'

Nicky now has an infra-red CCTV camera fitted to her house.

Former Mary Tavy parish councillor Cheryl Downham has also experienced a major loss of fuel.

Cheryl, 51, said: 'I usually get 1,000 litres which lasts me ten to eleven months. Last December I filled the tank and then by April it had all disappeared — that's 1,000-plus litres gone.

'I then had to get 500 litres because the tank was empty.

'I filled the tank in October and it is nearly empty already. There is no way I could have used it all in four months.

'I am a single person and have three part-time jobs — I pay £60 a month for the fuel which is a lot of money but now I've got to order more and owe them more money. It's frustrating that I've got to keep paying more.

'They will go anywhere to get their oil and then probably sell it on.'

Sgt Dave Anning at Tavistock Police Station said: 'We are anticipating a sharp rise in the theft of fuels. Large tanks are especially at risk because they hold a lot of fuel and are often easily accessible.

'The first and best defence is to hide your tank. If your tank is visible from the road, screen it with fencing, a wall or hedging.

'Don't tell people that you have just had your tank topped up and how much it cost — word gets around.

'Be aware that once you have suffered a theft you are extremely likely to be targeted again.

'It may only happen once a year, but it is usually very expensive and can leave you and your family without heating at the worst possible time.

'Make the usual access point secure, with a padlock for example, but be aware that thieves have drilled holes in tanks before.'

Sgt Anning advised investing in a purpose-designed liquid level sensor, which shows if oil levels are decreasing unusually quickly.

'This is really useful when thieves are being clever and taking smaller amounts on a regular basis,' he said.

Sgt Anning asked residents to be on the alert — and take the registration number of any red van that could be posing as a Post Office van.