'A kick in the guts': Fuel thieves target BoP volunteer Coastguard

Waihi Beach Volunteer Coastguard had been rationing fuel for three months to save money, only for thieves to steal the lot within two nights of them refilling it. Co-president Jacqui Paterson said the fuel was taken over the two nights immediately after the tank was refilled on June 29, leaving the not for profit facing a bill of close to $5000. The unit had been minimising fuel use for months amid rising costs and supply issues. "We've been really careful and diligent... the crew's been doing theory training or very close-to-shore training – launching and retrieving – to try and keep the cost right down, given the difficult time," she told 1News. By the time it was refuelled, the tank held only a couple of hundred litres. She said whoever broke in used electric-powered tools that threw sparks to cut into the tank, which was holding highly flammable petrol.