Police patrols stepped up near RAF Cosford after fuel theft nearby

Land near RAF Cosford is the latest site to be targeted by criminals – less than a week after petrol stations in the Black Country and Staffordshire saw motorists drive off without paying.

Police said they were carrying out “reassurance patrols” to deter thefts. It marks an uplift in criminal activity as the cost of living crisis continues, with a litre of petrol above 150p and diesel more than 170p a litre.

It comes as inflation rises to a 30-year high at seven per cent, with a new survey also revealing a quarter of families are expecting to struggle significantly financially

Meanwhile, health chiefs in the region have warned this squeeze is having a detrimental impact on people’s physical and mental health.

The problem was raised in this week's Black Country and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group governing trust meeting.

Olwen Dutton, from the CCG governing body, explained the rising cost of food and energy bills will correspond with a more unhealthy population.

She said: "The rise in cost of living is already having an effect on the health in our local population. The issues of health inequalities and some of the changes that we're seeing in health inequalities.

"The world has changed over the last 18 months or so, it's a very difference place now, because of Covid and around issues around around finance, whether it's energy, benefits or whatever.

"If someone is constantly worried how to feed their kids or warm the house then they will not having time for themselves, improving themselves through a new job or extra training."

She added: "The rise in the cost of living, and the downturn that there is and the impact that that is having directly on the health of a lot of the people in our population."

Vice chairman of the governing body Professor Chris Handy believes there is no short-term solution for the cost of living crisis.

He said: "The fuel crisis is not just going to kind of go away, is it? It's going to continue. So that, that pressure around incomes and cost is going to be maintained and that is going to have a that's going to be a stresser around healthcare surely."

People suffering from fuel poverty - those who cannot afford to heat their homes - are susceptible to several health problems associated with living in cold and damp conditions. Cardiovascular complaints, hypertension, coronary heat disease and mental health problems have all been linked to living in cold conditions.

The short and long-term effects of people not eating properly can lead to increased hospital admissions and more visits to the doctor. Poor diet can lead to malnutrition and lead to more fractures and bones being broken.

The new survey of more than 2,000 adults across the UK found that 72 per cent expect rising prices will damage their living standards over the coming year.

Among them, 24 per cent expect that their living standards will fall “significantly”.

The most widespread impact of the cost-of-living crisis is expected to be on consumer shopping habits, with 50 per cent of respondents expecting to have to change the type of goods and services they buy.