A Bellanaleck man is warning others to consider the location of their oil tank after thieves stole an amount oil from his due to its easy accessibility.

The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, realised that the oil had been stolen from his tank after he noticed a spillage down the side of it on Monday afternoon (January 25).

"One of our neighbours opposite us had oil stolen last week so I put two and two together and knew straight away," the man told this newspaper, noting that 600/700 litres were stolen which he estimated would be worth around £300.

The incident was reported to the PSNI. A PSNI spokesman said: "Police in Enniskillen are investigating the report of the theft of a quantity of home heating oil from an oil tank at a house in Bellanaleck.

"The theft was reported to have occurred sometime between Sunday, January 24 and Monday, January 25.

"Anyone with any information about this incident or who may be able to help with the investigation, is asked to call police in Enniskillen on the non-emergency number 101 quoting reference number 1496 25/01/21, or submit a report online using the non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/. You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/."

The man believes that the position of his oil tank meant that it was "really easy accessed" by the thieves: "We always knew it was a possibility that if anyone wanted to steal oil that ours would be really easy to get because there’s a Council walkway down the back of the house."

Following this incident, the man told The Impartial Reporter that he plans to move the oil tank to a more secure location and is advising others to consider doing the same if theirs is easily accessed.

"I could put a lock on it but they could bore a hole in the side of the tank. They could even cut the lock off. At the end of the day, if they want it, they’ll get it. The only way you can stop them is by making it hard to access. I have plans now to move the tank away from that edge of the fence," he said.

"I know myself that it’s gone and I’m not going to get it back. I can’t do anything about it but I just thought it might make people double check what way theirs is set up, to protect them," the man told this newspaper.