AN 80-year-old woman has had her "freedom" taken away after yobs vandalised her mobility scooter.

Sheila Crompton, of East Bank Street, Astley Bridge, suffers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and osteoarthritis and cannot walk long distances without becoming out of breathe.

She has been shielding for more than four months during the coronavirus pandemic and had only been leaving her home for around two weeks when her mobility scooter was damaged.

Sheila believes someone had used a screwdriver in an attempt to steal it but failed and left it immobilised instead.

She thinks the incident happened between around 10pm on Friday, July 24 and 6am the following morning.

Sheila said: "I pressed the button on the key fob to disabled the alarm and wondered why it didn't bleep as usual.

"I got on the scooter, put the key in the ignition and switched it on only to have the alarm start beeping.

"I noticed some damage around the keyhole as though someone had tried to use a screwdriver or something to start the scooter. All they succeeded in doing was completely immobilising my scooter.

"I think they failed miserably to steal it."

Sheila has vented her anger and frustration after the despicable act.

She said: "I had just come off four months of being stuck in during the lockdown.

"I got my freedom back and started getting out and about and then somebody goes and does that and I cannot get anywhere.

"I have been deprived of my transport.

"The type of people who do thinks like that are low lives.

"I've now got the expense of having to get the scooter repaired plus I'm now trapped indoors once again."

Sheila is left without a means of getting around until the scooter is fixed.

The thieving scumbag has deprived me of the pleasure of being able to get out and about after 18 weeks of being confined to my home. I'd not even stepped outside my front door until last Monday.

I've reported to the police for what good it'll do...

I guess I'm going to have to get CCTV set up so I can keep an eye on what's going on outside, yet more expense because of thieving b*st*rds.