Disabled ex-serviceman left housebound after thieves steal Motorbility car from outside his Doncaster home

Reg Fort, aged 79, said he is devastated at the theft, claiming he has been robbed of his independence by the thief or gang responsible.

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Mr Fort, who only returned to Doncaster last December after retiring to Filey, North Yorkshire, 20 years ago, said: “I wish I had never come back now.”

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The OAP, who served in the Royal Navy in the 1950s and 60s, returned to South Yorkshire last December to be closer to his three sons after he suffered a stroke.

He ran a car as part of the Motorbility scheme, where people with a disability exchange their mobility allowance for a new car, scooter or electric wheelchair to help them retain their independence.

The grandfather-of-six, of Granby Road, Edlington, said: “I have the best sons and family anyone could wish for, we all look after each other, so they will help me, but the car was my independence.

“I lived in Filey for 20 years and was never affected by crime, then I came back here and in just six months my car has been stolen. It is sickening. I wish I had never come back now.”

He is urging anyone with information about the theft to contact South Yorkshire Police.

“I got up last Thursday and looked for my keys but couldn’t find them, I then realised my door was open and that the car had gone from the drive,” he said.

“I really want the person who did this to think how they would feel if it was their grandfather, mother or father that it happened to.

“It was probably stolen for money for drugs.

“I would really love to get it back. I know people will say that I will be insured but there is still a knock-on effect. Stolen cars mean that other people’s insurance premiums go up through no fault of their own.”

Anyone with information should call South Yorkshire Police on 101.