A driver in Langley is sharing his story after thieves drilled a hole in the gas tank of his pickup truck and stole the fuel last week.
Walnut Grove resident Brent Theilade had just filled up his tank when he discovered what he thought was a leak.
"(I) looked underneath and right under there, it was dripping," he told CTV News. "I didn't think sabotage."
With gas prices in Metro Vancouver at an all-time high, the lost fuel already amounted to about $100 out of Theilade's pocket.
But a trip to his local mechanic revealed the gas had in fact been stolen and the damage the thieves left behind would cost much more to fix.
"It's really unfortunate that it's come to this," said Rick Cosco, the owner of Big O Tires in Langley.
Cosco said the gas thieves had drilled a hole in the Dodge truck's gas tank and drained it, explaining that this is easier and safer to do on makes that use plastic instead of metal tanks.
Theilade said it would've cost more than $3,000 to repair the truck.
He contacted police and the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia as soon as he found out his fuel had been stolen.
Luckily for him, ICBC will cover most of the cost of the damage, but Theilade isn't the only one in the neighbourhood who's been affected by this kind of crime.
Cosco said he's now helped three or four people in the same situation.
And with gas prices above the $1.60 mark in some parts of the region, Theilade isn't surprised that more thieves are targeting fuel tanks.
"I think it is desperate times and the price of fuel and I think it is only going to get worse," he said. "I really, really do."
With files from CTV Vancouver's Scott Hurst
