A minibus used for ferrying elderly and frail people to a centre run by a charity in St Ives is back in use after thieves forced it off the road.

St Ives Day Care Centre had to close for a day after the exhaust and catalytic converter were stolen from its only vehicle overnight Tuesday and Wednesday, May 27 and 28.

Staff had to hire a bus and driver from Huntingdonshire Association for Community Transport and then another from a private firm, so they could pick up members from their homes.

The centre, in Ramsey Road, offers a hot meal and entertainment for nearly 80 people every week.

Its manager, Don Moorman, said the bus had been repaired. “We shall now be taking steps to fit an alarm and CCTV,” he said.

“We didn’t want to have to spend money on this.

“It’s going to cost the best part of £2,000 plus VAT.”

A clamp with an in-built alarm is to be fitted to the exhaust to act as a further deterrent.