A mum from Orpington has warned other drivers after she found her petrol tank and had been sawed and fuel stolen from her car.

Michelle Blumire, 47, left her Vauxhall Corsa parked on the road she lives on with a quarter of a tank of fuel left in it.

When the fuel crisis hit late last week, Michelle decided that she wouldn’t rush to the petrol station and instead would walk wherever she needed to go if her car ran out.

But on Wednesday when her son-in-law went to fill up her car for her for the first time, petrol started pouring from the bottom and he found himself “stuck in a puddle of petrol”.

News Shopper:

Michelle, who runs her local Orpington horse riding centre, told the News Shopper: “My son-in-law went to get me some petrol and the next minute he was standing in a puddle of fuel.

“My car is only three weeks old and so we thought it was a manufacturer problem but then we were told to ring the RAC and that we were covered through them.

“They came and told me that someone had sawed my fuel pipe and there was a huge hole in it.

“Now I’m just waiting for my car to be taken away and fixed”.

This is the second incident of petrol vandalism that the News Shopper has reported this week - read more here.

Michelle is claiming the damage on her insurance – with the job costing around £2,000.

She said: “They must have sawed it within the week when I didn’t use my car.

“On my road it’s rare that you can park directly outside where you live and you can’t always see your car from your house.

“Things do sometimes happen on the quieter bits of the road and so it probably happened when I was parked down there but I have no idea when.

“I’d never have known until I filled up which almost makes it worse.”

News Shopper:

Michelle’s son-in-law had put £26 worth of fuel into the car before he realised it was just coming straight out of the bottom.

A spokesperson for Metropolitan Police said: "On Wednesday, 29 September police received an allegation of theft after a fuel tank was reportedly stolen from a car in Lower Road, Orpington. 

"Officers made enquiries and established there was no CCTV of the incident.

"No suspects or witnesses were identified.

"With no realistic prospect of conviction, the case was closed.

"This decision will be reviewed should further evidential opportunities arise.

"The informant was made aware of the outcome."

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