Fuel thefts have sky-rocketed in Kent in the last year, with petrol stations losing up to £8,000 a year as prices continue to rise.

And Richard Ashby who owns Hilltop Garage in Sutton Valence said there is little garage owners can do other than grin and bear it.

He said: "It's not worth reporting a theft to the police - it's very difficult to prove and they can't do anything."

He said it was also not worth trying to claim off the business insurance: "You have to think what might happen to to your premiums."

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request from the police has shown that more than 1,000 cases were logged in the last seven months.

Police are also seeing a 75% increase in reports of fuel thefts every month as prices continue to rise.

Between January and mid-July, there were 1,134 called in - an average of six a day.

The FOI revealed there had been a year-on-year decline in fuel thefts in the county since 2017.

However, this year the number of reports have risen by an average of 75% when comparing monthly figures with 2021.

Last year, the force recorded 1,543 reports, or four a day.

In the majority of cases recorded this year (945), the investigation has been closed because no suspect has been identified.

There have been 30 charges so far this year, and 71 cases remain under investigation.

According to the RAC Foundation, at the end of July, the average price per litre for petrol was 189p and for diesel, 194p, which compares with 135p and 137p respectively at the same time last year.

Gordon Balmer, executive director of the Petrol Retailer's Association, said £40 million of fuel is stolen every year.

There are two types of fuel theft - one where the person says they haven't got any means to pay, and the other which involves the person driving off without paying which is often referred to as "bilking."

Mr Balmer said that individual petrol stations were losing between £4,000 and £8,000 a year from stolen fuel, and ways of trying to combat the problem such as introducing a pre-payment system or an automatic shut off would be costly for businesses and could turn off consumers.

Some surveillance companies offer a means of finding the vehicle details of drivers who attempt steal fuel.

He explained: "We've experienced an increase in drive-offs and you can appreciate that when it happens to a small, independent petrol station - maybe a husband and wife partnership - it's literally taking money out of their pocket because that has to be accounted for."

"When you actually look at the margin, they would have to sell probably an extra two or three tanker loads of fuel to recoup that back.

"There's been quite harrowing incidents where people have gone out to confront somebody that's making off without paying - people grabbing hold of car bonnets and things like that. It's a big health and safety issue.

"It is difficult when somebody is pulling up a vehicle and driving off; there's not really a huge amount you can do, there's no barrier or anything like that you can put down to hold them on site."

Hardy, who works at Aylesford Service Station, said: "Half of the time the problem is the police are not interested with thefts under £100."

"So if someone fills up £20 or £80 and drives off, they don't want to know.

"It does affect us, as we have to then make up the difference if someone steals fuel.

"We can't go to the insurance, as we can't claim without an identifiable person. Basically we have to suck it up."

Most garages are now switching to the 'pay at pump' method - which requires customers to insert their card first to check they have money on it before lifting the fuel nozzle.

Hardy added: "We don't have pay at pump machines because they are too costly - around £32,000."

"If we have an issue, we usually make customers pay in the store before they start filling up."

Detective Inspector James Ross from Kent Police said: "Kent Police records all reports of suspected fuel theft. However in many cases, where there does not appear to be any attempt to intentionally avoid payment, a civil debt recovery process can be taken forward.

"An investigation will be launched by Kent Police if there is evidence to show the individual has taken steps to intentionally avoid payment. Such cases should be reported to police immediately."

Mr Ashby had his own method of deterrence. He said: "At Hilltop we suffer drive-offs very very rarely. That's because we are a small garage and know most of our customers. It's all about community."