MOPED owners have been urged to be vigilant following a spate of thefts.

Up to five scooters were found damaged and dumped in Stambridge Road, Rochford, on Wednesday. They are all believed to have been stolen from the local area.

The mopeds have also been deliberately stripped so there are no identification marks - meaning police can’t contact the rightful owners.

Officers are now appealing for people who believe the damaged vehicles belong to them to come forward.

PC Ian Risden, from the Castle Point and Rochford community policing team, said: “Vehicles have been found dumped in a ditch. They have been extensively stripped down and there are no identification marks on either vehicle.

“They are in quite a bad state of disrepair so we cannot identify the owners.

“If you think they may belong to you please call 101 and quote incident number 0317 of February 8.

“Please note that the council have been called who will attend and recover both motorcycles.

“I would ask for all owners of mopeds who live in the Rochford area to secure the vehicles properly and to remain vigilant.”

The discovery of more suspected stolen mopeds comes after on-call firefighter Tom Nolan, 20, pleaded with thieves to return his scooter.

Mr Nolan is now unable to attend life-saving emergency calls.

He used the black Piaggio scooter on Sunday evening to get to Rochford fire station when he was called out to attend a blaze in Hawkwell.

After battling the fire, Tom returned home to Parklands, in Rochford, but woke up the next morning to find the vehicle had been taken from his driveway.

No arrests have been made and enquiries are continuing.

Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555111.