Thieves have stolen a disabled man's wheelchair from his front doorstep.

Chris McBride discovered his wheelchair had been taken from outside his home in Burnt Oak Terrace, Gillingham, last Sunday.

The made-to-measure equipment, which was in his front yard, went missing between 2pm and 3pm when Mr McBride was at home.

He said: "I had been in and out all day and when I'm doing that, it is easier to leave the chair outside as I live in a terraced home with a front step that is about a foot high.

"I park it there all the time. I have been doing it for years. It was between the house and the front wall so someone has come in through my front gate and taken it."

The theft has taken away some of Mr McBride's precious independence. He has been able to borrow another wheelchair, but it is cumbersome and does not fit into his car.

"The chair that was stolen was part of me..." - theft victim Chris McBride

The 28-year-old, who has been in a wheelchair all his life, said: "I'm usually extremely independent.

"I go all over the place, but the wheelchair I have borrowed is really old so it is very heavy and difficult for me to use so I have not ventured very far.

"The chair that was stolen was part of me. It is tailor-made and every part of it has been made to measure.

"To replace it would cost around £3,500 and I don't think the insurance will cover the whole cost so it is a huge worry. I'm desperate to get it back."

Mr McBride, who plays wheelchair basketball for the Maidstone Warrior Rebels and teaches the sport to children at Medway Park, is appealing for anyone who may have information about the theft to come forward.

Police have been making door-to-door enquiries and searching the area.

Anyone with information is urged to phone police on 101, quoting reference XY/31017/13.