Heartless thieves have stolen a mobile information van used by a charity which supports young people with drug and alcohol issues. 

The mobile information van, which belonged to The Children’s Society’s Essex Young People's Drug and Alcohol Service (EYPDAS), is believed to have been taken on Wednesday, July 22, from outside the Galleywood youth centre in Chelmsford.

The charity supports young people up until their 19th birthday, and their families, who are affected by drugs and alcohol, whether it’s their own use or someone else’s.

A safety clamp was sawn off of one of the wheels before the van was stolen.

The 2008 white Roller Team campervan, which is worth about £30,000 new, contained a television, DVD player and a kettle, along with leaflets and other materials aimed at providing teenagers with information and advice about living with alcohol or drugs misuse in the family.

The van was also used to reach out to young people, often on the street or in parks or other public places, to highlight the risks of grooming and inappropriate sexual relationships.

Staff at The Children’s Society had planned to take the vehicle out on Friday, Jul 24, in Brentwood with a group of volunteers.

Chris Pegley, senior project worker at The Children’s Society in the East of England, said: “We are a charity trying to do important work with young people and we’ve been prevented from doing this by other people’s inconsideration and greed.

"I put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into putting this information unit together and it’s extremely frustrating that we aren’t able to go out and do street work anymore.”

“We were about to start a whole new programme to train up volunteers to support young people out-of-hours across Essex, and all of this is now in doubt.

"We have been prevented from doing what we do best.”

If anyone has any information about the stolen van – registration number AU58 BKX - they are urged to contact Essex Police by calling 101 or 01245 491491.