Grant McMillan wonders if there is a connection between the Lower Mainland’s record high gas prices and his truck’s gas tank being drilled to steal his fuel on Monday morning.
“I had filled up my truck the day before, so when the gas light came on I knew something was wrong. When I went to my truck Monday morning, I could smell gas and saw something dripping near my gas tank,” said McMillan who had parked the truck on Walnut Grove Drive.
He walked past another truck that also smelled like gas and had some type of liquid puddling near it.
“I turned on my truck and the empty gas light came on. I immediately thought someone had syphoned my gas.”
McMillan pulled the vehicle to an area where he could get a better look underneath it and saw a hole in his gas tank. Someone had drilled a hole in the metal tank and stolen the fuel.
Suspecting the other truck had been hit, too, he left a note with that unsuspecting driver.
“He called me and he had been hit, too,” McMillan said of the other truck.
The pair filed the incidents with police and ICBC has towed away his vehicle for repairs.
“Both of us wonder if this is going to happen more often with the gas prices being so high?” he said.
ICBC said it hasn’t noticed a bump in claims of this type yet.
“Although we do get these types of claims, we have not seen an increase,” said an ICBC spokesperson.
Police have been patrolling the area a bit more frequently since the thefts, said Langley RCMP.
Cpl. Holly Largy said she couldn’t say if they have seen an increase in this type of crime as most cases show up in files as theft from auto.
READ: Metro gas prices hit $1.57
Local gas prices are some of the highest recorded, at $1.57 per litre. Summer is traditionally the most expensive time of year to buy gas with GasBuddy.com predicting fuel could reach a consistent $1.63 per litre or higher.
monique@langleytimes.com
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