Thieves stole 600litres of fuel from a coach yard in Dorchester

A coach depot in Dorchester, Dorset, fell victim to a gang of diesel thieves on Sunday night who stole an estimated £900 worth of fuel.

For Watt’s Coaches House Travel it was the second time in four months that they had come under attack from the fuel robbers. It appears the problem wasn’t an isolated incident as a number of other thefts had been reported to police across the West Dorset area.

The thieves are said to have gained entry to the coach yard via the rear of the property. Although the depot does have CCTV cameras in operation, they don’t cover the area where the robbers broke in. The crime is thought to have been committed late last Sunday night. Diesel was siphoned off from 5 coaches and 2 buses as part of the raid.

The owner of Watt’s Coaches House Travel estimated the loss of 600 litres worth of fuel would cost the company approximately £900. Mr Watts described the raid as a “major annoyance” as all the vehicles had been filled up with fuel so they were ready to go straight into service on Monday morning. Instead the drivers had the inconvenience of going to fill up all of the vehicles before they could start out on their routes.

Police are continuing to investigate the case and are appealing to the any witnesses or members of the public with information to come forward.