Ref. 12454/1DISABLED grandmother Cynthia Highton said her faith in human nature has suffered a big blow after the battery from her mobility scooter was stolen.

Lifelong asthma sufferer Mrs Highton, 70, who also has a heart problem, was attending a service at St Peter's Church in Pewsey, when the thief struck on Sunday.

Her lightweight Aqua Soothe electric buggy is not powerful enough to get up the wheelchair ramp to the church so Mrs Highton left it at the side of the Co-op supermarket, about 100 metres away.

Fearing that someone might ride off on it, she secured it with a cable with a combination lock.

In the hour she was at the service, a thief removed the battery that powers the machine.

Mrs Highton was so shocked on discovering the theft that she suffered a panic attack.

She tried to ring her son Philip, who lives at Woodborough, but he was out. In her panic she did not think to try his mobile number.

Although Mrs Highton has enormous difficulty walking, she decided to walk home.

It took her more than half an hour to walk the half-mile to her home in Raffin Lane. She was left so out of breath by the journey on foot that even 20 hours later she was still gasping for air.

Officers at Pewsey Police Station found it hard to accept that anyone could be so mean as to steal the battery from a mobility scooter.

Former special policewoman Dianne Myall, who is receptionist at the police station, said: "It makes you wonder how low people can stoop."

Mrs Highton has been left virtually a prisoner in her home until she can get a replacement for the stolen battery because her spare is a smaller, low-powered battery with only a very small range.

Former teacher Mrs Highton lived in Birkenhead, on Merseyside, until last May when she moved to Wiltshire to be near her son.

"In Merseyside I left it outside shops and schools and nobody ever touched it," she said, adding it was little consolation that Kennet and Wiltshire liked to regard themselves as among the most crime-free parts of the country.

Anyone finding the battery, which is marked Aqua Soothe, should hand it in at the police station. Anyone with information on the theft is urged to ring the police station on (01672) 562222.