Police are warning that a shortage of cooking oil caused by the war in Ukraine has sparked a series of thefts.
Global supply shortages have pushed many supermarkets to introduce restrictions on the purchase of cooking oils, with olive oil, sunflower oil and rapeseed oil now being rationed by stores including Tesco, Morrisons and Waitrose.
Even before the war in Ukraine, prices had been soaring as a result of factors including Covid-related staff shortages and poor harvests in South America. And with the price of fuel at the pumps rising to record highs, police have warned of a nationwide increase in the theft of cooking oil for resale or to create unregulated biodiesel that can be used as fuel for diesel engines as a direct replacement or to blend with regular diesel.
