OFTEC s Malcolm Farrow.
THE 11,500 households in Warwickshire who use oil to heat their homes will welcome the news that heating oil is no longer one of the top five five most commonly stolen items in rural areas of the UK.
The annual rural crime report from Stratford-based NFU Mutual reveals that the total cost of thefts from rural homes decreased to 6.2million in 2015, down from 7.1million in the previous year. And while heating oil and diesel were the third most frequently targeted items in 2014, fuel does not feature in the 2015 top five. These were quad bikes, machinery, farm and commercial tools, followed by garden equipment and livestock.
Malcolm Farrow, from OFTEC, which represents the oil heating industry, said: The report findings provide good news for oil-heated households in Warwickshire and it is encouraging to see that heating oil is no longer a key target for rural criminals.
This trend is likely influenced by the continued fall in the price of heating oil over the past year.
From speaking to local police constabularies it is clear that heating oil thefts are actually quite rare.
However, households should still adopt some simple precautionary security measures such as fitting a lockable cap to tanks, installing a security light and using an electronic gauge to detect any sudden drops in fuel levels. Oil-using households in Warwickshire are continuing to benefit from low prices as oil remains the cheapest of all the major home heating fuels. The cost of heating an average three-bedroom home on oil is 52 per cent less expensive than LPG, 56 per cent less than electric storage heaters, and over 30 per cent less than urban homes connected to mains gas.
Mr Farrow added: Households topping up their tanks this summer will see huge savings with the price of heating oil remaining so low.
This trend is expected to continue for the foreseeable future.