A SPATE of diesel thefts in the Pudsey, Bramley and Stanningley areas last night prompted police to warn transport company chiefs and other businesses to check their security.
Thieves targeted a business in Viaduct Street, Stanningley, at about 11.45pm on Monday and stole fuel worth more than £500 from seven parked trucks.
A firm on the Grangefield Industrial Estate, in Grangefield Road, Pudsey, was also targeted over t
he weekend and diesel worth more than £200 was stolen from a parked vehicle.
These are the latest in a series of similar incidents across the division and across the county.
Police are warning businesses to take extra security precautions to help tackle the problem. Officers from the area's local neighbourhood policing team are mounting extra patrols in the worst affected areas.
Insp Tom Horner, of the west outer neighbourhood policing team said: "While we are doing all we can to help catch those responsible, we are urging local transport firms and other businesses who have large amounts of diesel in vehicles or stored elsewhere on their premises to check their security systems and make sure they are as robust as they can be.
"One simple measure would be not to leave vehicles parked up overnight with their tanks full of fuel.
"Firms need to think about their working practices. Could they fill their vehicles first thing in the morning and therefore not leave them as sitting targets overnight?
"They also need to think about the standard of their closed circuit TV systems and whether they have got up-to-date equipment that will provide quality images that will help us to catch and prosecute those responsible."
Businesses can get the crime prevention advice from crime reduction officers, based at Pudsey police station, on 0113 241 4904. Anyone with information about the theft of diesel fuel should call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
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