A FATHER has condemned thieves who stole and then set fire to a specially-converted van used to transport his daughter in her wheelchair.

Arthur Allen said 20-year-old Mary-Jayne, who has cerebral palsy, found it difficult to get her wheelchair on buses and by stealing the van, the thieves had effectively "cut off her legs".

He added: "The van was worth about £1,000 technically, but it was worth millions to her."

Mary-Jayne, who has just started work at a Rose Hill nursery, said: "If the thieves understood just how much I relied on my wheelchair, they would know how important the van was."

The Ford Escort was taken from outside Mr Allen's home in Spencer Crescent, Rose Hill, at about 7pm on Saturday, while Mary-Jayne was in the house. Police found it burned out just over an hour later in Barton Road, Barton.

Mr Allen, a coach driver, said: "I'm gutted and my daughter's gutted. She can't get out and about any more. Before, she could get someone to drive her where she wanted to go."

The theft also meant the family were unable to make their weekly Sunday visit to Botley Cemetery, where Mr Allen's son David is buried. He died, aged 16, in November 2004, in a motorbike accident in Long Lane, Littlemore.

Mr Allen said: "Why they took it I don't understand. You can see what it's used for."

He has been looking into converting a van he uses himself, but said it would take time and money. He added: "Mary-Jayne is worth every penny, but it's the sheer hassle. They don't realise the trouble they've caused."

A number of youths were seen fleeing the scene of the car fire, but no-one has yet been arrested.

Anyone with information about the incident should call police on 08458 505505.