Welsh villagers turned into sleuths to hunt down thieves stealing fuel from a family-run petrol station as prices continue to spike from the Iran war. 

Prysor Service Station in Gwynedd, North Wales, was swindled of fuel on three separate occasions after different perpetrators filled their tank and drove off without paying.

Judith Troughton, who runs the station, took matters into her own hands and posted pictures of cars suspected of the bilking crimes - the act of evading payment - on social media. 

These included a brunette woman, wearing a hooded khaki jacket over checkered pyjama-like trousers, being captured filling up her battered silver Audi. She then seems to wave at the CCTV footage, face burrowed. 

The thief is pictured fuelling-and-dashing again on the same week at a separate petrol station, 35 miles away, wearing the same trousers. She remains unidentified.

Ms Troughton's plea was met by a local call for battle as villagers took on a detective role and helped to try and track them down. 

This included sightings of an offending van as it was parked outside a pub near Porthmadog before another driver was spotted tailing it to a beach. 

Ms Troughton heralded the 'power of Facebook' as the sleuthing led to a full refund for the tank of stolen fuel, which is currently easily exceeding £100-per-tank.

Drivers are expected today to hit the eye-watering £2billion mark of extra costs spent at the pumps thanks to the war in Iran. 

The cost of filling the average 55-litre tank in a family car with petrol is still over £13 more expensive and £26 dearer with diesel compared to prices on 28 February, when the US bombed Iran - starting the conflict. 

Having circulated the crimes on social media, Ms Troughton: 'We were subsequently contacted by people in the Y Ring pub in Llanfrothen saying they were there. 

'A local person then followed their van to Borth-y-Gest beach where they parked up. The person called us and we reported it to the police, who paid them a visit. 

'The caller stayed watching the van until the police arrived. We got our money back - the power of Facebook!'

Ms Troughton raised the alarm again when another driver filled up with £68-worth of fuel and drove away. 

Despite dodging the financial cost, they were not able to get away from the alert eyes of locals - who spotted the vehicle driving away. 

However karma caught up with the thieving man who broke down on his way home and was subsequently caught.

Ms Troughton said: 'Unfortunately for him, he broke down on the way home, in the Mold area I believe.

'Traffic police came across the vehicle and were aware we had reported the drive-off. The driver said he hadn't paid as he had no money - but could get some by May 21.

'In the event, he borrowed money and paid up. He was beside himself, absolutely mortified this had happened. So much so, we thought he was about to start crying.'

Figures show fuel thefts from bilking have risen 62 per cent since the start of the Iran war in February - with the value of the fuel stolen also up 46 per cent.

The pyjama-wearing woman is still at large despite committing an identical theft at another garage the same week. 

The Audi driver struck at least two petrol stations with her thievery, having been spotted on CCTV two days in a row - wearing the same red-and-white chequered pyjama bottoms. 

The offences happened around 35 miles apart at separate garages in Gwynedd, North Wales.