Why Are Criminals Stealing Used Cooking Oil From Scotland's Chip Shops?

Arthur T Knackerbracket writes:

Why are criminals stealing used cooking oil from Scotland's chip shops?

Police Scotland says organised crime gangs are targeting chip shops, takeaways and restaurants for their used cooking oil.

The liquid is often left in containers outside premises to be taken away to be recycled for potential use as biodiesel, a renewable fuel for transport such as buses and tractors.

Across Scotland, 178 incidents of cooking oil thefts were reported to police between April and October last year.

Grant Cranston said he was surprised by how brazen the thieves who targeted his Inverness chip shop were, adding: "It was broad daylight. There were people walking around."

About 70% of biodiesel produced in the UK is made from used cooking oil, according to UK government statistics.

Prices paid to caterers for their oil can depend on how much is available for collection and its quality, but according to the industry, a restaurant could get about 30p a litre.

On average, thefts of used cooking oil costs the UK Treasury 25m-a-year in lost duty.

Thefts have previously been reported elsewhere in the UK, including in Derbyshire and Gloucestershire.

Police Scotland said the incidents it recorded last year totalled about 20,000 in lost revenue to catering businesses.

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