A DISABLED Southampton woman has been reunited with her mobility scooter - thanks to the Daily Echo.

Nesta Stocks, who describes the scooter as her lifeline, was heartbroken after it was stolen from outside the Woolston library in Portsmouth Road.

The 68-year-old former housing office manager from Woolston urged the thief to return the vehicle.

Within an hour of the story appearing on the Daily Echo's website someone came forward to say he had seen it abandoned at Peartree Green - about a mile from where it was taken.

A joy-rider is thought to have driven off on the scooter before dumping it in bushes.

Nesta's husband Nick said: "We shot out there and collected it. It was in perfect condition and wasn't even out of battery. It was an absolute result - well done Daily Echo!"

Nesta added: "It's very nice to have it back - I'm ecstatic."

The pensioner bought the red "luggie" scooter from her sister-in-law four years ago after developing angina, which restricts blood supply to the heart. She also suffers from psoriatic arthritis, a condition that leads to joint pains and swelling.

Speaking shortly after the scooter was stolen she said: "It's my lifeline - I wouldn't be able to travel the way I do without it."