Petrol thieves to get the spike

If the lights are ignored spikes can be used by staff to puncture car tyres

A petrol station in north London has installed security spikes to stop motorists driving off without paying.

The Drivestop device has been fitted at the service station on Seven Sisters Road, in Finsbury Park, after a rise in the number of fuel thefts.

If a motorist drives away from a pump without paying, warning signs flash. Staff can then activate the spikes if the motorist continues to drive off.

The system tags the tyres so police can link the car to the petrol station.

'Try their luck'

Owner Mukesh Patel said: "Drive-off is a big issue now. Last year we lost about £7,000 - over five years we've lost about £20,000.

"All those drive-offs and we haven't had one come back yet [to pay] and the police are not doing anything about it, so we have to have our own security."

Jaginder Mudhar, who invented the system, said: "It gives the managers and the operators the ability to do something from behind that cash counter.

"Innocent people who forget to pay will stop when the red lights are flashing.

"People who have got something to hide, who have something to steal, will try their luck but will find that they won't be successful at all."