A senior Bradford councillor last night spoke of his disgust after thieves targeted minibuses used by people with disabilities and special needs.

Catalytic converters were stolen from 11 Council minibuses at the Shearbridge Depot in Great Horton Road used to transport disabled adults and get children to and from special schools.

Councillor Ralph Berry, who is in charge of children’s services, said some of the most vulnerable people in the district had been left to suffer as a result of the vehicles being taken out of service.

The Telegraph & Argus understands that pupils at Southfield and Hazelbeck special schools have been particularly disrupted.

Coun Berry said: “I’m absolutely appalled, it’s outrageous.

“These thieves rip the parts off with no regard for the cost of replacing them, the damage they’ve caused or the impact it will have on some of the most vulnerable people in the district.

“These people are callous. They are people who don’t care about the impact on other people. It’s criminal greed.

“We need to be looking at the places where these people try to cash in on these rare metals and let’s hope someone gets caught.”

John Major, the Council’s assistant director for environmental and regulatory services, said the break-in was discovered on Wednesday morning.

“This resulted in disruption to the services provided for some special needs and vulnerable clients, both children and adults,” he said.

“Steps have been taken to prevent a recurrence.

“We would like to apologise for the inconvenience this has caused to our customers who rely on these services and we are working hard to return services to normal.”

Mr Major said the Council’s Passenger Transport Service was able to resume services yesterday with “minimal disruption”.

The service carries more than 1,800 special needs people twice a day and makes 724,000 journeys each year.

The catalysts, which can cost about £2,500 each to replace, were taken from Mercedes-Benz Sprinters.

A police spokesman said: “Officers have made inquiries in the area and are appealing for any witnesses to the incident to get in contact.

“They are especially keen to hear from anyone offered the parts for sale. They are all from Mercedes Sprinter vans. Contact police on 101.”

The recession and high prices for precious metals have seen a national increase in thefts of the converters.