Joyriders have been stealing disabled people's mobility scooters and trashing them.

Police are investigating two incidents where disabled people have had their scooters taken by joyriders who have been spotted in the area.

In both cases the scooters were badly damaged before police were able to recover them and return them to their owners. One owner, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, said it felt like the thieves had "stolen his legs".

Matt Zunde-Baker, of Wrythe Lane, woke up on Saturday to find his scooter had been taken from outside his house. He called police who said a scooter had been recovered that morning but it turned out to have been another vehicle which was stolen from a house in Belmont Road, Wallington, over the same night and dumped near the River Wandle in Papermill Close.

Later that day, Mr Zunde-Baker said he got a call saying youths had been spotted riding a mobility scooter in Carshalton and then his scooter was recovered, badly damaged, in the same area as the first.

Mr Zunde-Baker, who suffers from MS, said: "It's like they took my legs away. I rely on my scooter to take my children to school and for so much that I do - without it I'm basically housebound.

"I can still use the scooter but there is some visible damage - the basket has been ripped off - and it just doesn't feel right. It's as though they've piled as many people as they could onto it."

The 39-year-old father-of-two put up notices appealing for information while the scooter was missing and said he wanted to thank the people of Carshalton for their response - including the MS Society and Village Bikes, which showed him how to secure his scooter in future.

Police looking into the incidents say they want to speak to anyone who saw anything suspect in the area over the weekend or who has seen groups of youths riding mobility scooters. They also urged people to call 999 if they see a scooter being ridden by anyone who does not look like they own it.

Officers advised anyone who owns a mobility scooter to keep it locked securely in a shed or garage wherever possible.

If you have any information, you can call police on 101 or the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.