TWO callous youths stole a mobility scooter from outside a Worcester shop – but their get-away was foiled by have-a-go heroes.

Hazel Browning, 45, of Red Hill, Worcester, was getting a tattoo done when the thieves struck, stealing the £500 Wispa scooter she describes as a “lifeline”.

A Facebook appeal however went viral and, after learning of the heartless crime, a couple of passers-by transformed into crime-fighting vigilantes, spotted the stolen scooter and chased off the offenders to recover the item.

Mrs Browning, who has a hyper-mobility condition, said: “The people who got the scooter back are very good Samaritans.

“It was a big relief as I rely on the scooter to get around – it is my lifeline.

“There was no damage or scratches and it still works fine, which I was surprised about.

“I felt annoyed when it was stolen and I was thinking how am I going to get back to my car and I can’t afford to buy a new scooter.

“Without it Christmas would not have happened for me.”

The 45-year-old added it was “the power of social media and the internet” which had helped rescue her scooter, rather than police officers whose support she was “not impressed with”.

A distinctive zebra-print design and stickers similarly helped by making the scooter stand out to members of the public.

Mrs Browning has also called on the council to install a system that would enable people to safely lock up their mobility scooters.

The have-a-go-heroes, whose identity is unknown, saw the thieves at a bus stop near to the CrownGate shopping centre.

They chased after the youths and recovered the Wispa machine but the offenders fled and were not caught.

West Mercia Police confirmed the incident took place on Thursday, December 11, sometime between 3.30pm and 5.54pm.

The scooter was taken from underneath a private archway close to the Lifestyle Express shop on Broad Street, Worcester.

Anyone with information on the incident should call officers on 101.