Gardaí have issued a number of precautions and advice to the public to protect themselves against potential thefts of home heating oil.

In a statement on Facebook, Meath Crime Prevention said:

"Now that the evenings are getting shorter and colder, many of us are buying home heating oil.

"There are a number of products available which can help protect your tank and make it more difficult to steal.

"The difficulty with just putting a lock on the tank is that the thieves will simply drill a hole in the tank to steal the oil."

Therefore, to go one step further, Gardaí recommended the following.

Tips to protect against home heating oil theft