Police have issued a warning to people to be vigilant after thousands of pounds worth of fuel thefts in the district.

Anyone with oil-fired heating is being told to keep an eye out for vehicles acting suspiciously around their homes.

Thieves have siphoned around £6,000 pounds worth of oil from storage tanks, in just 12 incidents since March.

As much as 1,500 litres has been stolen at a time from rural areas in and around Epping Forest.

Most of the thefts have occurred at properties situated in hamlets or villages, down quiet country lanes, at night time.

Tony Ellis, the crime reduction officer for the Epping Forest police district said that people must ensure that they have adequate security measures in place.

He said: “This is a national problem but it tends to go in spates around Essex. We want to make people aware that thieves are breaking open tanks and siphoning off large amount of fuel oil which will probably be sold on the black market.

"We also urge anyone to contact your local crime reduction officers for advice on how fix devices that activate alarms if a tank is being tampered with.”

People are being asked to keep their eyes peeled for vehicles carrying tubing, plastic or metal tanks or any form of liquid containers.

Police are asking people with oil-fired heating to make some changes including adding security lights to their property, moving the tank to an over-looked position and adding locks to their gates. Checking oil gauges regularly is also being advised.

Anyone with information about the thefts is asked to contact police at Epping on 101, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.