A former employee of Helphire Group who stole a fuel card and the used it to buy almost £5,000 of petrol has highlighted the need for checks to ensure fleets detect similar frauds and thefts immediately.

The former employee used the stolen card for five months before being caught. He said as well as using the card himself, he also lent it to friends. Helphire said it had been left £21,000 out of pocket.

Work out fuel costs for each of your vehicles using your actual MPG or the manufacturer combined figure with the Fleet News Fuel Cost Calculator. Choose the fuel type, specify the mileage and choose the vehicle to get your figure - and continue adding all your fleet models for a combined fuel cost total.