THIEVES siphoned petrol from three cars and a motor bike at an apartment block in Paralimni in Wednesday night in the first reported case of theft during the fuel strike.

Using a crow bar, the perpetrators forced open locked petrol caps and emptied the tanks of the cars between 6pm and 9pm.

A motorbike on the same complex was also robbed of its fuel.

One resident told the Cyprus Mail that the damage to one of the cars “would cost hundreds of euros to fix”.

Police said it was unlikely that the culprits planned to sell the fuel on to other individuals, but there were worries that more such cases could emerge if the strike was to go on.

There were also concerns that cars parked in the driveways of hundreds of unoccupied holiday villas would be targeted by opportunists.

Famagusta police spokesman George Economou told the Cyprus Mail that officers were instructed to monitor residential areas and carports.

“We had extra patrols out looking for this kind of crime and we will continue to keep a close watch,” he said.

There was relief yesterday afternoon when the strike ended - as the only operating petrol station in the south east was at breaking point and struggled to cope with demand.

Local radio reported accounts of traffic chaos as drivers queued early yesterday, but despite reports of a small scuffle in Ayia Napa, police say they had not been called to deal with irate motorists.

Until pumps reopened yesterday, Turkish Cypriot petrol dealers had been enjoying a rare boom in trade due to the strike.

Since Tuesday cross-border traffic over the Green Line to Famagusta dramatically increased with many residents filling up at Turkish Cypriot gas stations, rather than sit in long queues.