Service station and truckstop owners in Britain are being urged to beef up security in the wake of a shock survey showing that one in six international truck drivers had been robbed and in many cases assaulted in five years.

The survey of over 2,000 drivers, carried out by the International Road Transport Union between 2000 and 2005, revealed that 17% had been robbed, of whom 21% had been physically assaulted. Theft from loads accounted for 60% of the robberies, but drivers and their possessions had been the target in 40% of cases. The IRTU estimates that thefts from lorries cost the industry €7 billion during the survey period.

Most of the attacks occurred in Romania, Poland, Hungary, and Russia. But Debbie Jones, General Manager of Warwickshire-based commercial vehicle safety and security specialist Viper Guard, warned that operators and drivers in Britain were not immune.

Chancellor Alistair Darling's six-month postponement of the 2p a litre fuel duty increase will do nothing to stem the growing problem of theft and pilfering of diesel, says Viper Guard General Manager Debbie Jones.

"The value of a full 500-litre fuel tank is approaching £600, which is an open invitation to opportunistic thieves and pilferers," says Debbie. "Only the day before the Budget, I attended a Road Haulage Association seminar at which it was revealed that fuel theft is markedly increasing, and putting off the duty increase for a few months does nothing to address the problem.