Nice of the police to notice

Courtesy of Kim du Toit, a sign posted at British petrol stations which threatens dire consequences to anyone driving off without paying for his tankful. And I do mean dire: the next step beyond this is, oh, a sternly-worded letter from Council explaining that you know, this is a criminal act, almost on par with owning a gun-like object, and we can't have that sort of thing, can we? Obviously Her Majesty's Government has learned a great deal from the United Nations, for whom sternly-worded letters are only one step away from that which international lawbreakers fear the most: an actual General Assembly meeting.

Meanwhile, back in the States, we're looking at a system that keeps you from removing the hose until you've paid up.