NEW figures from the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association reveal thefts of daily rental vehicles have fallen by a quarter to just 1.2% of the total fleet. The number of vehicles recovered increased by 5% over the past year and the average period of recovery fell by 20% to 2.3 weeks.

BVRLA secretary general Norman Donkin said: 'Although this is a positive sign, with a reduction in cost to the short term rental industry, we must not become complacent. Incidence of theft while vehicles were being delivered and collected has risen dramatically, highlighting the risks run by rental companies when providing this kind of service to customers.'

The overall cost of commercial vehicle theft rose only slightly last year, but the value of stolen vehicles not recovered rose by 18% and there was a significant increase in the number of vehicles over 3.5 tonnes which were not recovered.