ORGANISERS of a Kidderminster disabled people's club feel "the members are losing out" after being targeted by vandals for the second time in three months.

Secretary of Kidderminster and District Disabled Club, Fred Ballard, said he could not believe the charity's ambulance - used for emergencies and to transport wheelchair users to meetings - had been forced off the road again after vandals attempted to break into the vehicle.

The lock on the rear door was broken after the incident, which happened in Sutton Park some time between late afternoon on Tuesday, March 7 and Tuesday the following week.

Mr Ballard, who branded the act as "despicable" said the members were unable to attend their weekly meeting last week.

He added: "We're very upset about it but are having the lock fixed this week. We're not sure what these vandals were after, as we don't carry any drugs or equipment on board, but it looks clear they were trying to get inside the vehicle.

"The problem is that we are having to pay for all this at the same time as funding the club's activities and the general maintenance of the vehicle. In the end, it's the members who are losing out."

It was the second blow to the club, which was targeted by vandals in January, when the rear lights of the ambulance were unscrewed and the wires cut, leaving members without a vehicle for emergency and social use.

The organisation was under the umbrella of the Red Cross until five years ago but is now solely funded by donations from the public.

It took the club five years to raise the money to buy the ambulance which has now been targeted twice since the Red Cross logo was removed from the vehicle at the beginning of this year.

Club chairman, Shirley Gledhill, who keeps the ambulance on her driveway, said: "It's just so aggravating, as it's all for a good cause. We've got a committee meeting tomorrow so something will have to be done about it.

"It just strikes me as odd that the ambulance has been outside my house for the past eight years and yet it has been targeted twice since we bought it from the Red Cross and the logo was taken off.

"The members were very disappointed but, luckily, they understood."

She added they hoped the ambulance would be back on the road soon and were calling for volunteer drivers to come forward and help them keep the service running in the district.

To become a volunteer or to offer support, contact Mr Ballard on 01562 753094.