A nurse at a local hospice had to postpone appointments with clients after thieves stole the catalytic converter from her car.
Weston Hospicecare community nurse Katie returned to her car parked nearby the hospice’s Jackson-Barstow House in Uphill on March 2 to find it had been tampered with.
The offenders removed the catalytic converter, meaning the car was written off and appointments, which Katie had been due to carry out, had to be postponed.
Weston Hospicecare’s ten community nurses cover more than 23,000 miles in northern Somerset every year delivering vital care to patients with life-limiting illnesses.
Amanda Gough, who leads the community nurses at Weston Hospicecare, said the theft caused a huge disruption within the team.
She said: “It’s just a sad state of affairs that individuals have stooped to this level without any consideration about the impact it has caused.
“Not only for Katie, but also Weston Hospicecare patients who are relying on the support provided by nurses to manage symptoms and pain caused by their life-limiting conditions.
“The impact caused by the criminals’ actions has been huge.”
The actions of the vandals have not only caused distress to patients and their families but also emotional and financial stress to Katie and her family.
Thieves have been targeting cars across the Bristol area, stealing their catalytic converters.
Police say there has been an increase in the number of attacks on vehicles across the Avon and Somerset area in the last year.
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Last year there were 14 reported thefts of the devices which are stolen for the scrap metal value compared to five in 2017 and none in 2018.
Although there are 10,000 different types of converters, the cars most often targeted are hybrid vehicles.
Since hybrid cars have two power sources - electric and petrol or diesel - the catalytic converter is used less frequently to process pollutants.
The metals are less likely to corrode, meaning they are worth more and more attractive to thieves.
Precious metals must be used because the converters have to work efficiently enough to meet emissions standards.
If anyone has any information about the incident in Weston they should call 101 and quote the crime reference number 5220051132.
