A Cookstown charity lost more than 1,000 litres of home heating oil in 2024, forcing it to install CCTV and warn rural households as reports of tank thefts rise across Northern Ireland.
The Rural Community Network discovered the loss when staff arrived at its offices and found damage to an external tank. Director Kate Clifford said, "We initially thought there must be a leak, but then we could see damage to the tank and knew something was seriously wrong." She added, "somebody must have known we had recently filled up, so the worrying thing was it felt very premediated, and that felt quite sinister." The theft hit the small charity hard and led to extra spending on security.
The charity went public after new figures showed 600 reports of oil and fuel thefts in Northern Ireland since 2021. Police recorded 45 thefts in the first six months of 2026, compared with 59 offences in the whole of last year, statistics released alongside the charity's statement show.
Home heating oil remains the primary fuel for many households in Northern Ireland, with 62.5% of homes using oil and the share rising to about 80% in rural areas. That dependence concentrates risk where tanks are stored outside properties and are visible to opportunistic thieves.
Raymond Gormley, head of energy policy at the Consumer Council, pointed to the link between price spikes and thefts. He noted, "In March 2022 after the invasion of Ukraine, 500 litres peaked to around £663 and 900 litres peaked to around £1,182." Gormley said the period around that price peak saw the highest number of thefts, and he added that recent Middle East tensions have again pushed up prices and prompted contacts from affected families.
Both the Consumer Council and the Police Service of Northern Ireland are urging practical precautions. Gormley advised people to "install a lock or alarm on your oil tank and fit hardened flexible casings to any visible fuel hoses so that they are harder to cut." A PSNI spokesperson warned that fuel tanks can be seen as "easy pickings" and recommended disguising or locking tanks, fitting a "level Gauge" with an audible alarm and installing lighting or CCTV.
Clifford framed the incident as part of a wider rural inequality, saying many urban households have access to gas networks while rural residents rely on single external fuel stores. She urged neighbours to watch for suspicious vehicles or activity and report concerns to the PSNI, saying community oversight remains an important defence against further thefts.
