A WAR veteran was appalled after his mobility scooter was stolen and vandalised.

Francis Spendelow, 91, parked up his vehicle 50 yards away from the Tesco Express while he popped in to buy a few items at 4pm on October 3.

When he came back Mr Spendelow, who is partially sighted and deaf, the scooter had disappeared.

But it didn't take long for him to find it. The scooter had been wrecked in just 10 minutes and was left on a tarmac path off Chepstow Road.

He said: "I saw two school children sitting on a wall. There was a boy sitting on a wall. I asked them if they had seen anything. They said no and the the boy went off and used his phone."

The girl eventually told him where the scooter was. Mr Spendelow found the front panel vandalised. He has since found out that it is beyond repair.

Mr Spendelow, who served in the Navy from 1933 to 1955, said he was very upset by the incident.

"It's not a life line but the scooter gives me a lot independence."

Police said that inquiries were ongoing.