A motorist from Bicester was intercepted after officers discovered an unpaid petrol debt dating from the previous month during a traffic stop connected to suspected retail theft.

The car was detected by the Thames Valley Police Rural Crime Taskforce while patrols were being conducted in the northern part of Oxfordshire on Thursday 19 March.

When examining the vehicle’s registration details, officers found it had been flagged in connection with shoplifting incidents.

A force representative stated that officers had halted a car in Bicester that was connected to shoplifting. There was an outstanding amount for petrol taken without payment the previous month, and the driver received a community resolution requiring them to cover the cost of the fuel.

Community resolutions serve as a method for police to address minor offences and demand that those responsible acknowledge their wrongdoing and make amends – in this particular case, by settling the unpaid amount.

Leaving a petrol station forecourt after refuelling without settling the bill at the till constitutes the legal offence of making off without payment, though the practice is frequently referred to as bilking.