Fed up with finding that the farm fuel tank always seems to be empty just when you have a lot of fieldwork to do? Wondering whether the local low-lifes have been helping themselves to it?

You can now keep a much closer eye on fuel levels, thanks to a new piece of equipment called the SmartGuard. It’s a measuring device that uses a probe to give a very accurate measurement of fuel remaining in the tank, says Steve Richardson from Worcester-based firm Fuel & LPG Services. That means you know exactly how much fuel is left and when you need to reorder.

But what’s different is that the system also automatically sends you a text and email every time fuel has been taken from the tank. A leak alarm message is sent if the fuel level drops more than 7mm in an hour and a security alarm message is sent if the level drops more than 7mm in 5 minutes  That can be useful from a fuel security point of view (who’s that filling up at 3am?) but it’s also helpful to know when staff are legitimately filling up.

It’s equally applicable to heating oil tanks, too, says Mr Richardson, giving a pretty accurate idea of how many days are left before you have to refill. There’s also a smaller probe that fits a combine or forager fuel tank and will give you a warning if fuel is being siphoned out.

Cost of the unit (which can be fitted to both plastic and metal tanks) is £120 and data charges cost £30 a year. The company can be contacted on www.fuelandlpgservices.co.uk