Disabled passengers faced being stranded after thieves tried to steal fuel from the Chiltern Dial-a-Ride service vehicle at the height of the petrol crisis.

Vandals smashed the petrol cap of the minibus and left a trail of fuel across the ground.

Pauline Wilkinson, a founder member of the Chiltern Dial-a-Ride, which provides a lifeline for disabled people in the district, said she was sickened by the raid.

She added: "It is absolutely unspeakable that anyone could do something like this when it is obviously a vehicle used for disabled people."

The bus, which takes passengers to social events, had been parked at Chesham Methodist Church, in Bellingdon Road, when the thieves struck.

A parishioner had spotted the damage to the vehicle on Sunday morning.

Brian Richards, co-ordinator for the service, said they had to pay to fix the damage and replace the keys which were used for the petrol cap but they managed to keep the service going.

See Friday's Bucks Free Press for full story.