CRIME gangs are raiding chippies and restaurants for cooking oil to flog as an alternative to diesel.
They steal large tanks of used oil which has to be stored for collection as it cannot be poured down drains.
Other crooks trick businesses by posing as the disposal teams.
Stolen oil is then converted into biodiesel and sold on the black market.
After the latest incident this week, police in North Wales said: “Information received that a van was in the area and had links to theft of cooking oil, wait I hear you ask?
“Cooking oil… don’t get your potatoes in a twist just yet.
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“Vehicle was stopped and on board were two greasy looking characters, both of which smelt like the bottom of a chip pan!”
Officers found barrels and containers filled with oil and arrested the men.
Arrests have been made in Norfolk, while businesses have also been targeted in the North East, Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Cheshire and West Midlands.
A source said: “This just shows how much intuition the crime gangs have. They’ll look anywhere for profit and, with the rising cost of fuel, there is a thriving market.”
