By Hayley Robinson

Pensioners' lives have been put at risk after thieves stole a grit bin.

Residents' living at Echo House, in Canterbury Road, Sittingbourne, have been depending on the grit to help them cross their courtyard safely following the treacherous weather conditions. But selfish thieves made off with the locked green bin which contains the grit on Saturday night.

Pensioner Patrick Matson, who lives at Echo House and is responsible for gritting the pathways, discovered it was missing from the open porch way of the small block of flats on Sunday morning.

The theft has been reported to the police.

Wendy Usher, director of management company Echo House, said: "This is a particularly nasty and heartless thing to do when most people are going out of their way to help vulnerable and elderly neighbours.

"Everyone is really upset about it. We only brought the bin and the grit back in the autumn, it cost £150 which the residents paid for out of their own pockets so it means we will now have to try and find the money again to replace it.

"It was a 100 litre bin with a lockable lid so whoever took it will have had to have broken into it to get to the contents.

"The entrance to the flat is via a cul-de-sac which has no other houses so we suspect it was taken by someone who uses the road as a cut through."

Mr Matson said: " I felt sick when I saw it had been taken - those responsible are low life. I just can’t believe it. People will take anything these days.

"Nobody saw or heard anything.

"I’ve been trying to buy ordinary salt from the shops to put down in the meantime but they’ve sold out."