More than £9,000-worth of petrol has been stolen from a petrol station in the last month.

Esso service station in Aldersbrook Road, Wanstead, has reported 20 incidents of customers leaving without paying, with the majority happening in the last two weeks.

Service Supervisor, Sujee Jeevaratnam, 36, said he has no idea why there has been a spike recently.

“Every day this is happening and the average fill-up and drive-off is between £50 and £120, so it is a lot of money,” he added.

“Myself and the staff follow the necessary procedures, but there is not much we can do to stop it from happening in the first place.

“The police are being very helpful and are helping us with our inquiries but again, it doesn’t stop motorists from driving off without making payment, and no-one has yet been caught.”

On average, petrol stations expect a loss of between £500 and £600 a month due to non-payment for fuel.

According to Mr Jeevaratnam, the type of individuals involved in the crime are mixed, but says there has been a number of van drivers not paying for fuel using fake number plates.

A Police spokesman said the force is working closely with staff to try and identify the suspects.