Norfolk oil thefts spark police warning for businesses to be vigilant

A spate of oil thefts have caused police to issue a warning to businesses.

Two thefts and one attempted theft have been reported in the past nine days across South Norfolk and Broadland:

The first incident occurred shortly after 5am at a public house in Ashwellthorpe on Sunday 5 March 2023. Forty litres of cooking oil was stolen.

The second incident happened at a public house in Wymondham, sometime between Thursday March 2 and Sunday March 5. Approximately 140-150 litres of oil was stolen.

The third report was from a school in Sprowston on Thursday 9, which involved two men claiming to be from a legitimate recycling company and ultimately being turned away before acquiring the oil.

Police are urging companies to review their security and cooking oil disposal processes, and to follow the guidance below to prevent being targeted by thieves:

Ensure CCTV cameras and security lighting are installed as deterrents. Motion sensor or dusk-to-dawn lighting that will illuminate the area at night is a good investment.

Install an alarm system or lockable gates to where your cooking oil barrels are kept.

Regularly check your cooking oil levels to ensure a theft has not occurred and use built-in locks on the barrels if available.

Keep used oil barrels indoors if it is safe do so, or ensure they are out of reach of opportunistic thieves.

Double check with your oil recycling company if 'workers' arrive but collection was not scheduled for that day.