AN elderly resident has pleaded with the “scumbags” who snatched her and her sister’s mobility scooters to bring them back.

Rose Gardener, 73, of Walton, and Helen Challis, 72, run a bingo club three times a week at Soken House inside the Triangle shopping centre in Frinton.

The two widowed siblings, who have either attended or taken charge of the club for the past nine years, always leave their

mobility scooters outside the venue.

But half way through the competitive meet-up on Tuesday night, Helen noticed their disability transport had been stolen.

CCTV footage reveals the theft took place just five minutes before the group took a break.

The targeted pair rely on their motorised scooters to get around the two seaside towns as Mrs Gardener suffers from arthritis and Mrs Challis has two fractures in her back and a metal plate in her foot.

Mrs Gardener can also drive a car on occasions but prefers to use her mobility scooter for shorter journeys.

She said: “We always park outside and we have never had a problem before but when we came out there was no sign of them and we felt sick.

“The people who did this are scumbags and they clearly don’t realise how much disabled people need them.

“My sister is now housebound - why would you want to take someone’s mobility away?

“We use them every single day so we had no way of getting home, but luckily the kind people at the bingo gave us a lift.”

The two scooters, which cost more than £1,800 each, are both a dark red with black tyres. One has a black seat and the other has a grey seat.

At the time of the incident, the scooters also had sunglasses, reading glasses, items of clothing and other belongings on board.

Dog walking equipment, which Mrs Gardener always keeps in the scooter’s basket for her Yorkshire Terrier, was also pinched.

Mrs Gardener is now to urging the callous culprits to do the right thing and return the scooters.

She said: “Please bring them back, put them back where you found them and own up.”

“It is not just the scooters they have stolen.

“We now have to replace everything but they don’t think about that at all.

“I don’t have much hope of seeing the scooters being returned.”

Anyone with information should call police on 101.