Just Stop Oil sparks fury as he "D-locks' himself to fuel tanker

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Diesel, intended to power HMS Bulwark, was siphoned over weeks at HMNB Devonport in Plymouth. The alarm was only raised when civilian guards performed a spot check on a tanker driver trying to leave the Devon port. The stolen fuel, which works in diesel cars, was due to fill up the 19,560-tonne assault ship HMS Bulwark’s generators, which carries 325 sailors and up to 405 troops.

A source close to the Royal Navy base remarked the thieves “must have needed one hell of a jerrycan”.

They added: “The fuel that was taken was supposed to power the ship as it undergoes a refit.

“It’s a bit like generating electricity for a small town given Bulwark’s size and the generator is enormous.

“A sentry got suspicious about the movements of the fuel tanker and the vehicle was stopped.

“Naturally, the Navy is furious about it — even though none of their personnel were involved.”

Speaking to the Sun, the source said the Bulwark is a vital part of Britain’s defence and branded it a travesty that it had been left exposed.

Luke Pollard, MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport added that the thieves had snatched scarce resources during a national crisis of cuts for the armed forces.

Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry, a former commander of the Amphibious Task Group pointed out that the fuel could soon be needed in the Black Sea, which borders besieged Ukraine.

Former Frigate Captain Tom Sharpe said that though smuggling is a regular problem for sea-borne commercial vessels, he’d never heard of anything like this latest theft.

An MoD spokesman said: “The MOD is aware of an incident involving the alleged theft of fuel from a contractor within HMNB Devonport.

“There was no disruption to Defence operations and the MOD has no further comment.”

On March 10, thieves stole thousands of litres of fuel from a haulage depot at Murray Hogg in Newcastle.

The 15,000 litres of diesel was worth about £24,000, with company director David Hogg saying at the time oil prices were “crippling” for the firm before the theft.

He said: “Coming and taking it after that is just knock after knock.”

Mr Hogg said a security guard had discovered a “hose coming from a fuel tank” during his early morning rounds.

Mr Hogg said he initially imagined someone had filled a few fuel cans with a garden hose.

When staff checked the level in the tank, they realised 15,000 litres had been taken.

The thieves must have “been there about three-and-a-half or four hours”, Mr Hogg said.

They are believed to have used a pump to fill a number of tanks on a white lorry caught on CCTV.

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