Two Dial-a-Ride buses vandalised at Kidderminster depot

The charity found brake lines and wires cut and components had been taken

A community transport charity said thieves had targeted two of its specially-adapted vehicles, causing thousands of pounds of damage.

Wyre Forest Dial-a-Ride said its depot in Kidderminster was broken into on Friday. Bus parts were taken and brake lines and other wiring cut.

Transport manager David Muggeridge said the buses would cost about £11,000 to fix and may be written off by insurers.

"It's caused a lot of upset because I knew we had trips planned," he said.

David Muggeridge said replacement parts would have to be ordered from Germany

The charity, which transports people in the Wyre Forest with limited or no access to public transport, said it was the time of year when it was starting to get busier.

And next week it was planning to take people who used wheelchairs "on two special trips that have been organised for a while".

"People in care homes particularly don't get out much and this is a rare opportunity that has been spoilt for them," Mr Muggeridge said.

Dial-a-Ride, which has reported the incident to police, said replacement parts had to be ordered from Germany and expects the vehicles to be off road for several weeks.

Mr Muggeridge was alerted to the damage by a driver on Saturday and had been "really vexed".

He checked other vehicles in the fleet at Green Street but they were not affected.

But he feared the two buses could be written off completely because of the extensive damage.

"It's a great shame. A vehicle like this is of great value to us but in monetary terms it doesn't have a lot of value," he added.

Dial-a-Ride said it was "a blow" to the organisation which was still recovering financially from the Covid pandemic, but it would work hard to maintain its current commitments.

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [e-mail]