An independent company has appealed for help after one its ambulances was stolen.

The Special Ambulance Transfer Service (SATS) provides a specialist service for the transfer of high dependency and critical care patients within both the public and private healthcare sectors.

But over the weekend, one of the vehicles that makes that all possible was stolen while in Merton Road, Wandsworth.

Andrew Minnis, operations manager for SATS said the Stretcher MPV Ambulance would be worth next to nothing for whoever stole it.

"The Stretcher MPV was introduced into our service and is dedicated for the transfer of cancer patients going for treatment and also repatriating patients home who have injured themselves abroad," he said.

"The service heavily invested in this vehicle to provide dignity and comfort to its patients.

"The ambulance is almost worthless to anyone not using the vehicle for its intended purpose."

He said the ambulance was stolen between the hours of midnight on Saturday, May 25 and midday May 26.

The vehicle has been reported to the police but SATS is asking anyone who has seen it or does see it to contact either them or the police.

"Following its theft on Saturday night, it is now the patients who pay the price, suffering delayed treatment to essential services such as radiotherapy," Mr Minnis added.

"We would be overjoyed to have the vehicle returned to us in any state so that we can continue to care for our patients, who are at the heart of any service within the healthcare setting."

SATS was founded in 2006 and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year to anywhere across the UK and mainland Europe.