A volunteer helping vulnerable people in the coronavirus pandemic has been left in floods of tears after vandals destroyed her car.

Helen Crouch, 41, has been volunteering as a community responder and spent the last fortnight driving food and medicine to elderly villagers in Leicestershire.

After dropping off a shepherd’s pie to one pensioner over the weekend, she discovered someone had punctured all four of the tyres on her car – causing her to burst into tears.

In a video, Helen can be heard sobbing as she filmed the damage, She told the camera: ‘For the past two weeks I’ve done solid response work for two villages and somebody has stabbed every single one of my tyres.

‘The car is now broken down and it was needed. I hope you’re bloody proud of yourselves!’

Helen at first thought someone deliberately targeted her vehicle to stop her from working as a volunteer, as she had response team leaflets in her back windows.

The single mum has helped more than 100 vulnerable people receive supplies during the lockdown imposed by the government to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

She said: ‘Everyone has seen me out and about in Thornton, Bagworth and Stanton under Bardon. No other car was damaged.

‘I think someone has deliberately targeted my car to try to stop me doing what I am doing. It is sick beyond belief.

‘All four tyres have holes in. It looks like someone has used a big screwdriver to inflict the damage.’

After Helen shared her video, a Just Giving page raised more than £1,000 to replace her tyres – but vandals then returned to smash the windows and scratch the doors.

Helen, who is a self-employed interior decorator, said: ‘I don’t know who did it but it could be someone who thought I was breaking the restrictions by driving in my car.

‘Whoever did this should be utterly ashamed of themselves. I was doing what I could for people who can’t get to the shops or chemists but I can’t do it without my car.’

Leicestershire Police are investigating the tyre slashing, which happened between 7pm on March 28 and 9am March 29 on Main Street, in Thornton.

A spokesperson said: ‘We would ask anyone who knows anything about the incident to call us.’

To donate to the Just Giving page for Helen, click here.

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