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Black Market

Its the perfect criminal commodity with profits lining the pocket of organised crime. What we put in our tanks is the very life-blood of the British economy, but fuel prices here are now amongst the highest in Europe making our petrol and diesel more valuable than ever.

But, the rising cost of this commodity has put it at the heart of a massive black market. A multi-million pound hidden crime which stretches from the ordinary drivers at the garage forecourt through to a dark and a dangerous underworld.

CCTV footage shows a driver at a Manchester petrol station filling his tank. He is a criminal using a rental vehicle with false, stolen number plates. This is not just for personal use, the fuel is sold on the street making him 1,000s. He is one of many who cost the country tens of millions.

The trade body BOSS which represents petrol stations say they are working closely with the enforcement agencies to reduce forecourt drive-offs.

Such are the profits to be had from avoiding fuel duty that there now exists a whole new level of organised crime. Red Diesel is a subsidised fuel that farmers and building contractors are legally allowed to use for off-road vehicles Fuel fraud investigators target business using this fuel illegally.

For many businesses avoiding duel tax seems the lesser of two evils when the alternative may be going under.

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Jim Dodd sold his family's haulage firm, of more than 30 years, citing the cost of UK fuel. 60% of fuel costs are tax and foreign companies have an advantage with cheaper fuel.

Quentin Wilson is the public face of Fair Fuel UK battling for cheaper fuel for all. He believes that the high price at the pump is now skewing society's moral compass.

But, how far would ordinary people go to get their fuel on the cheap.

In Northern Ireland  those who used to fund terrorism have now turned their attention to fuel. These are the terrorists of yesteryear who would like to be the oil barons of tomorrow. The gangs have been developing increasingly sophisticated ways of stripping out the red dye from red diesel. Its called fuel laundering.

A filtration system  of pumps and bleaching agemts remove the chemical markers and dyes from the rebated fuel.  This then transported across the country for sale at, so-called, huckster sites - pop-up petrol stations to sell cheap, illegal fuel to ordinary motorists, willing to turn a blind eye to its origins.