An alleged fuel thief has recently been disturbed in Bruthen attempting to siphon petrol from vehicles parked outside people’s houses.
A police spokesperson said the petrol pincher used a novel way of targeting potential victims - riding around the neighbourhood on an All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) in the early hours of the morning.
Unfortunately, for the thief, the sound of the rather noisy ATV woke them up.
Police said it appeared the culprit’s first attempt was on a vehicle parked inside a property in Cornwalls Road, behind the cemetery. 
However, his unconventional arrival at the property around 3.30am disturbed the owner.
The offender fled the property on the four-wheeler leaving behind a garden hose which he had been using to siphon the petrol.
Next stop was a house in Ronald Street where his odd behaviour woke the family dog who barked, alerting his owners.
The occupants came outside to investigate and the offender sped off on the ATV, where his next stop was Main Street.

IMAGE: The would-be petrol thief drove an ATV down Cornwalls Road in Bruthen, a secluded road behind the cemetery, in an attempt to steal fuel but his noisy vehicle of choice alerted residents.