CUSTOMERS are calling on police to get tough with a petrol station they claim has cloned their credit cards.

The business, which News Shopper is not naming for legal reasons, is believed to be the source of fraud running into tens of thousands of pounds.

Last week we reported how housewife Rachel Goss lost £950 from her Woolwich Bank account after visiting the petrol station in September.

She was alerted to the fraud when her husband was told by the bank her card had been used in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand.

Following the report, News Shopper has been contacted by 18 other people who claim to have collectively lost £29,229.

Amounts stolen vary from about £150 to £18,000 but all are linked because the victims used cards to pay for petrol at the same place as Mrs Goss.

Customers have told us how the cashier told them the station's chip and pin machine was not working properly.

He then swiped their cards through a separate device by the till before asking them to enter their pin numbers in the normal machine.

Although the customers have eventually had the money paid back from their respective banks, they have suffered financial hardship.

Victims have often had to wait several weeks to get their money back.

The customers have lodged complaints with their banks, which in turn have contacted Bromley police.

Supermarket manager John Sanford-Mills, 40, had about £450 taken from his Barclaycard.

He said: "Where on the bigger list of crimes does this actually stand because it is the same principle as a robbery but it is just been done more cleverly?"

He added: "All of these people have used this particular place and all have been a victim."

One woman had just remortgaged her house when thieves took £18,000 from her account.

She said: "I just could not believe it. The whole thing has been a nightmare.

"There just does not seem to be any way of stopping it."

Lloyds TSB customer Marion Hodder had about £150 taken from her account by someone in Thailand.

The 65-year-old said: "You think my God, how is this done?' "I won't go in there again, not even to pay for things in cash.

"If it is not them they should be cleared in an investigation."

Telecom engineer Daniel Breame, 23, says he had £950 taken from his Halifax account.

He said: "I think the police should investigate the petrol station."

He added: "If so many people have been done, surely they should be able to trace it back.

"I scraped through October and it left me in trouble.

"I have only been in there once since and the guy won't look me in the eye now.

"My friend said how's your house in Thailand?' and his eyes just dropped to the floor.

"If there is a possibility to shut it down then it should be done until the police can prove they are guilty or not guilty."

Detective Chief Inspector Chris Smart is in charge of card fraud at Bromley police.

He said: "We will investigate any crime we can but we have to wait for the details from the banks.

"We have taken this as seriously as any other crime and we have given a form to the people who have reported it to send out to their bank."

He added: "Maybe the people feel we do not treat it seriously but they haven't lost anything.

"Once we get the details we will decide a way forward with each of these crimes.

"We are aware of what people have told us and we will look at all the intelligence we are given."

He said: "We are aware of the premises and the situation around these crimes but I cannot comment further at this current time."

A spokesman for the petrol station's parent company confirmed a police investigation was under way and it was co-operating fully.