A SELBY village has been hit by a spate of petrol thefts, which have left cars badly damaged and potentially lethal.

Thieves have hit eight cars in Barlby, piercing the petrol tanks and letting fuel drip into the street.

Claire Hartley, 23, of Barlby, set off in her Vauxhall Corsa for her job as an advertising saleswoman in York on Wednesday morning.

"I had a bit of bother starting the car, but it started all right the second time, so I didn't think about it," she said.

"As I got to Riccall on the A19, my petrol light started flashing, even though I'd filled the tank up on Monday night. I just hoped and prayed I'd get up to Escrick," she said.

After reaching the garage, a mechanic discovered the hole in the tank, which appeared to have been drilled or pierced with a screwdriver.

"For the sake of £20 of petrol, it's going to cost me more than £200 to replace the tank, and now I've got no car to get to work, which is 15 miles away."

Acting Sergeant Karl Simpson said there had been seven similar cases of petrol theft in the village, including four Renault Clios, another Corsa, a Vauxhall Astra and a Ford Escort.

Acting Sgt Simpson said: "What we've done in response is have a plainclothes officer out on Friday night targeting the area, and that's continuing as and when we can."

He said officers would be sent towards Barlby when they were not on other jobs, especially during the evening.

"People stealing petrol has always been a great problem for us, but in these cases, the culprits are causing a lot of damage to vehicles and are making them potentially dangerous too," he said.

"If you've got a pool of petrol gathering under the car, it only takes someone walking past and throwing a cigarette away to set it off."

He said the high price of petrol could have exacerbated the situation, saying the fuel could have been stolen to order.