THE family of a disabled woman from York have praised police for rescuing her when thieves stole her “lifeline to the world”.

Theresa Snaith, 82, was left stranded in her Acomb home when the wheelchair she cannot do without was stolen from her shed.

But within just a few hours she was reunited with her property, after police community support officers spotted a pair of youths with it as they patrolled the Poppleton area of the city.

The wheelchair, provided by City of York Council, is described by Mrs Snaith as “one of a kind” due to modifications specially designed to fit the stairlift to the steps of her home.

The chair was stolen between 10pm on Monday night and 8am the following morning, with her daughter, Susan Holmes, 57, discovering what had happened later that day when she went to find it.

She said: “Two female community support officers were on patrol in Poppleton when they saw two lads mucking around with a wheelchair.

“They pulled over and asked what they were doing and who it belonged to and they said they had found it.

“They confiscated the wheelchair and brought it back to the police station where I had reported it stolen.

“My mum is so pleased she has got it back, and I want to say thank you to those police officers. They really had their eye on the ball and without them my mum would have been stranded her home.

“And to whoever stole the wheelchair in the first place, or anybody who considers doing such a thing, my message is: think before you act.

“It is not funny to steal something that is so essential to somebody’s life.”

Susan said that, had the wheelchair not been recovered, her mother – left barely able to walk following a stroke two years ago – would have faced a wait of several months for a replacement to be specially made.

Mrs Snaith said: “I was stranded without my wheelchair so thank you very much to the officers who found it – I’m very grateful.”