Heartless scrap metal collectors stole a disabled six-year-old's walking frame from outside his house.
Cerebral palsy sufferer Aston Muff was left devastated after it was thrown in the back of a van when he went inside for a few minutes with his mum.
He is borrowing another frame while his family attempt to raise the £150 needed for a new one.
Neighbours in the area of Wymering in Portsmouth, Hampshire, say the area has been targeted by scrap collectors seen trying to take items from gardens.
The red frame was in the garden along with Aston's car seat, lunchbox and school bag as he waited with his mum Susan for his bus to summer playschool.
The pair briefly went back into the house and came out to find the walker had disappeared.
A neighbour said she saw a man who had previously been seen collecting scrap metal in the area stop outside the house, snatch the frame and put it in the back of his van before driving off.
Police are treating the disappearance of the four-wheeled frame as theft and have launched an investigation.
They are appealing for witnesses to the theft, which happened about 9.30am on Friday, August 12.
Aston's mother Susan, 47, said: 'The walker was only sitting there for a few minutes along with Aston's other stuff and my front door was open the whole time.
'It was obvious it was not being thrown out and that we had just gone back inside for something.
'It was incredibly upsetting, Aston was crying a lot when he found out because he cannot walk without it.'
Aston used a wheelchair he had before the Child Development Centre in Portsmouth lent him another.
Ms Muff said the frame gave him a 'small amount of independence' while with his friends.
'It means he can walk beside his friends and play with them like any other child, without relying on someone else to push him in his wheelchair everywhere.
'When the frame was taken he knew it meant he would not be able to go out and play.
'Now he feels like the small bit of independence he had has been taken away from him.'
She added: 'A couple of weeks ago I saw someone else in one of my other neighbour's gardens trying to steal their garden table and chairs and I had to stop them.'
Officers say the intention to sell the frame for scrap metal is a possible motive.
PC Steve Galmoye-Webster said: 'This was a callous act by someone who must have realised the walking frame is needed by the owner.
'The walking frame was next to the boy's school bag and was obviously still in use.
'The six-year-old's mum has told police he has had his independence taken away by a callous thief.'
Cerebral palsy sufferer Aston Muff was left devastated after it was thrown in the back of a van when he went inside for a few minutes with his mum.
He is borrowing another frame while his family attempt to raise the £150 needed for a new one.
Neighbours in the area of Wymering in Portsmouth, Hampshire, say the area has been targeted by scrap collectors seen trying to take items from gardens.
Heartbroken: Scrap metal thieves stole Cerebal Palsy sufferer Aston Muff's walking frame (not pictured) from outside his house. He is borrowing this one while his mum tries to raise money for a new one.
The pair briefly went back into the house and came out to find the walker had disappeared.
A neighbour said she saw a man who had previously been seen collecting scrap metal in the area stop outside the house, snatch the frame and put it in the back of his van before driving off.
Police are treating the disappearance of the four-wheeled frame as theft and have launched an investigation.
They are appealing for witnesses to the theft, which happened about 9.30am on Friday, August 12.
Aston's mother Susan, 47, said: 'The walker was only sitting there for a few minutes along with Aston's other stuff and my front door was open the whole time.
'It was obvious it was not being thrown out and that we had just gone back inside for something.
'It was incredibly upsetting, Aston was crying a lot when he found out because he cannot walk without it.'
Aston said the frame gave her son a 'small amount of independence' and he was forced to use a wheelchair when it was stolen meaning he couldn't play with friends
Ms Muff said the frame gave him a 'small amount of independence' while with his friends.
'It means he can walk beside his friends and play with them like any other child, without relying on someone else to push him in his wheelchair everywhere.
'When the frame was taken he knew it meant he would not be able to go out and play.
'Now he feels like the small bit of independence he had has been taken away from him.'
She added: 'A couple of weeks ago I saw someone else in one of my other neighbour's gardens trying to steal their garden table and chairs and I had to stop them.'
Officers say the intention to sell the frame for scrap metal is a possible motive.
PC Steve Galmoye-Webster said: 'This was a callous act by someone who must have realised the walking frame is needed by the owner.
'The walking frame was next to the boy's school bag and was obviously still in use.
'The six-year-old's mum has told police he has had his independence taken away by a callous thief.'
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