The UK's leading sports retailer Sportsdirect.com is kicking fuel thieves into touch by fitting all its large goods vehicles with the world's top anti-siphon device.

With around 375 stores nationwide receiving deliveries 3 - 4 times a week, the company needed to keep a close eye on its £2½ million plus a year fuel bill.

The company turned to TruckProtect's InstantFit NECK-IT after discovering an instance of fuel being skimmed off from one of its 60-strong fleet of trucks.



Transport supervisor Colin Ellis had been told about InstantFit NECK-IT by a colleague; he presented the solution to the company's board as a possible solution, the board like the simplicity and minimal capital expenditure of the solution and approved it.

Now all of Sportsdirect.com 60-strong fleet of Scania and MAN-ERF trucks are fitted with the anti-siphon device which protects theft of diesel from the top of the tank.

InstantFit NECK-IT also works with high-speed pumps filling at up to 120 litres a minute without any splashback unlike floating ball devices. It can be fixed in minutes without gluing or drilling, which can damage the tank.

Colin Ellis said it was an ideal method of counteracting thieves who skim off small amounts of fuel from large goods vehicles, in the hope that no-one will notice.

He said: "It is a good preventative method. The amount of capital paid out for an anti-siphon device like the InstantFit NECK-IT is relatively small compared to amount of diesel that can be lost over a large fleet over its life time.

"All of our fleet is now fitted with the device, new vehicles coming on to the fleet will be fitted with the device immediately. I am very happy with the InstantFit NECK-IT.

"Since they were fitted, we have had one incident with one of our vehicles, where someone has tried to tamper with the InstantFit NECK-IT, however they were not able to gain access to the diesel in the tank and left empty handed"

One of the problems facing fleet operators is that it is difficult to put a figure on how much fuel is lost if thieves skim only a proportion of it off, rather than draining the whole tank, but every litre lost is eating into vital profits.

Sportsdirect.com is Britain's leading sports retailer, and the owner of well-known sports brands Dunlop, Slazenger and Lonsdale. Its network of Sportsdirect.com and Sports World stores in the UK rely on regular deliveries of stock.

The InstantFit NECK-IT range includes versions for every make and model of truck in the UK as well as a Lo Pro version for vehicles with tight fitting bodywork. TruckProtect has national distribution agreements with networks of DAF-TRP, MAN, Scania, Unipart-TTC and Isuzu along with many other dealers and distributors across the UK.

Russell Fowler, Chief Executive of TruckProtect, said: "Most companies like to try a couple of units before committing themselves and we are happy to oblige.

"When combined with our SenderStop unit, transport operators have a total solution to the problem of stopping fuel theft from commercial vehicle tanks for the first time."

TruckProtect has recently brought out another new product, Wheel StopIt!, a lockable wheel nut with an individual code which prevents wheel thefts.