More than £250,000 worth of diesel has reportedly been stolen from a naval base in Devon. The thefts are believed to have taken place over the course of several weeks at the Royal Navy's HMNB Devonport base in Plymouth.
It is understood that the fuel was intended for generators that power up HMS Bulwark, which is one of the Royal Navy's two amphibious landing transport docks - the other is HMS Albion. The Sun has reported that the value of the stolen diesel was in excess of £250,000 but that figure is yet to be confirmed officially and, contrary to the national newspaper's story, a HMNB Devonport source told PlymouthLive that the fuel was not taken directly from HMS Bulwark.
Devon and Cornwall Police will not be investigating the thefts, as they occurred on Ministry of Defence land, while Babcock International, who work in partnership with the MoD at the base, have declined to comment on the matter. HMS Bulwark is used to land Royal Marines and their trucks and tanks ashore by air or sea, but it has been mothballed and not seen active service for a number of years.
