Cooking oil thieves strike again – making off with cans from Portlethen pub

Thieves have made off with around £100 worth of used cooking oil from a pub in Portlethen.

John Burgess, owner of the Paddock, says the culprits stole the oil from the premises at around 4.15am on Wednesday.

The culprits were captured on CCTV loading the oil cans into the back of a yellow van.

The pub, situated at the Green in Portlethen, has its waste oil recycled – each 20 litre can is worth up to £10.

Mr Burgess arrived at work and noticed the oil was missing from the bin area outside.

He said: “We’ve got CCTV all over the place but it doesn’t seem to bother them, they just help themselves anyway.

“The camera was right in front of them and they weren’t even worried about it.”

In a post on the pub’s Facebook page, Mr Burgess shared a video of the CCTV showing the two men with their hoods up. He warned others to “beware” if they see the van going around.

‘It’s not about the value’

According to Mr Burgess, the company that removes the oil will only come if there are eight or more 20-litre cans to be uplifted.

He believes that up to £100 worth of waste oil was taken in the early morning incident.

Mr Burgess stressed: “It’s not about the value that’s been taken, it’s the blasé way these people come and do it.”

Last month, The Bay in Stonehaven was targeted by thieves who made off with around £420 worth of used cooking oil.

Owner Calum Richardson said the incident happened around 6am on June 25.

A police spokeswoman confirmed officers are investigating the recent theft in Portlethen.

She said: “Around 11.30am this morning, Wednesday July 6, police were made aware of a theft of containers from a pub in Portlethen.

“An investigation is under way and inquiries are ongoing.”

If you have any information on the theft, call the police on 101.