by Louise Doyle
HOUSEHOLDS are being urged to be vigilant in the wake of the theft of home heating oil from a property in Derrybeg.
The garda warning comes as more people are topping up their home heating tanks as the weather turns colder.
An investigation is underway following the theft of 500 litres of home heating oil, stolen from a tank at a house in Glassagh, Derrybeg, sometime between midnight, Friday, October 25 and 8am the following morning.
Anyone who observed suspicious activity or vehicles in that area between those dates, we ask them to please make contact with gardaí in Milford on (074) 9153060.
With many households now filling their tanks in the months ahead, gardaí have issued a range of preventative measures that can be taken to prevent thefts.
These include, checking oil levels frequently, arrange smaller but more frequent oil deliveries, and install an automatic movement sensor security lighting around the tank.
Gardaí also suggest planting shrubs or install a fences to screen tanks from the view of the road, install and use lockable gates, and erect lockable fencing around your tank, including over the top.
People are being urged to consider fitting an alarm system which warns if the oil level drops suddenly, be vigilant following an oil delivery, and to be aware thieves may return to steal replacement oil following an initial theft.
Households are also urged to always take note of suspicious vehicles’ registration numbers and report them to gardaí.
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