THIEVES have been condemned for stealing a British Red Cross vehicle which provided a vital lifeline for the elderly and disabled.

The Burnley branch of the charity used the vehicle - which was emblazoned with its distinctive logo - to transport people with mobility problems.

It was also used to provide first aid at weekend events and would have been called upon in the event of an emergency to evacuate residents.

Charity bosses and councillors have called thieves who stole the £2,000 van deplorable' from outside its office at Lady Towneley House, Manchester Road, Rosehill, while a user of the vehicle has said that she has been left stranded in her home.

Sylvia Vaughan, 70, has arthritis and relied on the vehicle for eight years before it was stolen to take her into the town centre or to the dentists.

She said: "I rang up the office for transport and they said the van had been stolen.

"Quite honestly I am disgusted and I think it is appalling that somebody could steal it.

"It is clearly marked Red Cross and there's a big statement on the back that says it is a charity van.

"I used it to go to the dentist, which is difficult for me to get to. I don't know how I will get to it now.

"I also used it to go into Burnley for a bit of shopping and sometimes to get to church."

Mrs Vaughan, who lives in the Habergham area of Burnley, has suffered with arthritis for 28 years.

She said losing the vehicle - which was used most days by the Manchester Road branch to attend public events and transport the disabled - would affect scores of people across East Lancashire.

"I am stranded really," she added. "I can get to hospital because they send an ambulance, but not to anywhere else.

"This will affect disabled people who have planned holidays in special homes and hotels and rely on the van to take them there "Some of these people will have their holidays cancelled."

The J-registered van, which is more than 15 years old, was used to offer first aid at weekend events and was taken down to Sheffield during last year's floods.

Sonja Randle, manager of the British Red Cross' Burnley branch, said the "sad" theft would mean bosses would have to use the Blackburn office's van instead but demand for the service may not be met.

She added: "It was an old vehicle but it worked.

"It will really affect the people of Burnley. If there was a big fire and we needed people evacuated, we could have used it.

"The theft has left us and the local community with a big gap."

John Sutherland, operations director for Lancashire British Red Cross, also condemned the theft.

County Coun Maureen Martin, who represents Burnley South West and also sits on the adult and social care health committee, said: "This act of theft is deplorable.

"It is bad enough when people steal cars but to take from a charity is even more appalling.

"I think it is disgraceful that anybody could do this."

Police said that the white Ford Transit van, registration number J510 OBV, was taken from outside the charity's East Lancashire district office, at Lady Towneley House, in Manchester Road, Rosehill, between 4pm on May 30 and 8pm the following day.

Anyone with information should contact Burnley police on 01282 425001 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.