Thieves have stolen a disabled mother’s wheelchair from the doorstep of a Wolverhampton house, leaving her distraught and unable to move.

Appealing for the return of her “lifeline”, 49-year-old Karen Hughes says she has been reduced to crawling on her hands and knees to get about and is having to be cared for by family members.

Health chiefs are hoping to find her a replacement but warn it could be five months before money can be found for the specialised equipment.

The mother-of-two, who is paralysed from the waist down after being born with spina bifida, said: “This was a despicable thing to do. It beggars belief that anyone could take a wheelchair, knowing what it is for.”

The chair was snatched from outside the house of her ex-husband in Marsh Lane, Fordhouses, between 5.30pm and 6.30pm on Saturday while she was visiting her children, 14-year-old Sally and Joshua, 15.

She has since been unable to return to her own home, which is in Bushbury Road, about three miles away.

Police believe the wheelchair was taken by youths for a lark and may have been dumped after they tired of the novelty.

Karen, who visits the address three or four times a week, said: “With five children in the house, there isn’t room for the chair inside and I’ve always left it on the doorstep before. My ex-husband drove around the neighbourhood to see if he could spot it and the family asked neighbours but there’s been no sight of it.”

She added: “The wheelchair is the right height for my cooker and sink and all the other essentials at home. I’m lost without it.”

The Suntech model, worth more than £1,000, has been customised for Karen’s needs and has detachable back wheels for easy storage in her car.

The NHS is looking to provide a general replacement but it could be next April, if at all, before a replica can be financed.

She appealed to the culprits to return the chair. Anyone who finds it abandoned is asked to to call her on 07914 833022 or take it to Bilston Street police station.