Charity minibus stolen and stripped for parts

A charity says services for some of its most vulnerable users have been disrupted after one of its wheelchair-accessible minibuses was stolen and stripped for parts, while another was damaged.

Voluntary Action Rutland (VAR), which provides community transport and support services across Rutland and Stamford, said a 16-seater minibus was taken from its base at Oakham Enterprise Park and later found in a nearby field.

The vehicle's engine had been removed, while a second accessible vehicle was also damaged.

Chief executive Tom Walters described the theft, which happened on Friday, as "heartbreaking".

VAR supports elderly, disabled and vulnerable people and operates three wheelchair-accessible minibuses and two wheelchair-accessible cars.

Walters said during the overnight incident, one vehicle had a window smashed, with part of its bumper removed and its alarm disabled, but was left at the site.

A second vehicle, a 2021-registered 16-seater minibus, was stolen and driven about a mile away, where it was later found stripped of parts.

Leicestershire Police said a report was received at 06:10 BST on Saturday that a damaged and abandoned minibus had been found in Burley Road in Oakham.

Officers attended and established the vehicle had previously been reported stolen from premises in Ashwell Road.

The force said inquiries were ongoing and appealed for anyone with information to make contact.

"We know this isn't deliberately targeted at us, but it feels extremely personal when you have one of your vehicles targeted," Walters said.

"The damage, destruction and disregard for property, and the amount of effort and hard work that goes into maintaining those vehicles, has really been heartbreaking for us."

The charity said it would have only one community vehicle available until the damaged vehicle could be repaired, affecting trips and outings used by local groups, organisations and schools.

Walters said many people who use the charity's services faced challenges accessing transport because of Rutland's rural nature.

"We support some of the most vulnerable people so it is deeply upsetting," he said.

"As a general rule, to access our services, you need to be frail, vulnerable, elderly or disabled."

Founded in 1980, VAR works with about 120 volunteers and eight members of staff.

Alongside community transport, it runs social lunch clubs, volunteer schemes in schools and practical helping hand services for older residents.

Walters said the incident was the first of its kind in the organisation's memory and that it expected to launch a fundraising appeal to help cover the cost of replacing the stolen minibus.

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