More and more drivers are resorting to fuel theft due to high fuel prices in Germany, and some fuel station operators in the country are already switching off their pumps at night, according to the German association for the protection of the interests of fuel station operators, Bild reports.

Fuel theft is common among both young and old in Germany.

“It is clear that as soon as prices approached the level of 2.40 euros [per liter], the psychological barrier to committing a crime fell. Some simply leave [the fuel station] without paying,” said the aforesaid association’s spokesperson Herbert Rabl.

Such cases continue despite the high risk of being caught, as virtually all fuel stations in Germany are under video surveillance. But in this case, experienced thieves use stolen license plates or simply cover them up.

In September, the prices of diesel fuel and cheap E10 gasoline—which contains up to 10% bioethanol—set historical records in Germany.

The increase in the price of car fuel in Germany and in Europe in general is due to the deterioration of the situation in the region of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.