(file image) Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook
A man is facing multiple charges over a string of diesel thefts in Ruatoria spanning more than a year.
The 39-year-old, who is due in Gisborne District Court on Wednesday, was accused of being involved in a series of burglaries, taking about 70 litres of diesel at a time, police said.
"The community has been hit hard by the thefts for more than a year, and local contractors have been getting increasingly frustrated," said a post on the Eastern District Police Facebook page.
"Local quarries were even victimised during Cyclone Gabrielle, which meant delays in the use of the machines there.
"In these burglaries, approximately 70 litres of diesel was taken at a time, and some locations were targeted more than 20 times."
Police said the accused was stopped on Boxing Day in a stolen vehicle, and faced multiple charges of burglary and wilful damage.
