A disabled woman was confined to her home on her 65th birthday when vandals smashed her car windscreen with a fence post.

Anne Cook believes her Volvo was targeted because she helped police catch two teenagers who damaged other cars in her street. Just two days after they were arrested, Mrs Cook's car was wrecked.

The vandalism happened on her 65th birthday and she had to cancel her celebration plans.

Mrs Cook suffers from arthritis and has a heart condition which means she cannot walk long distances and depends on her car.

She said: "That car is my lifeline. Without it I can only go on short walks near my house. Smashing it up was utterly mindless and I cannot understand why anyone would want to do it.

"All they did was ruin my birthday. I was supposed to spend the day in Arundel with friends but instead I was stuck inside."

Mrs Cook claims she saw two youths kicking off car wing mirrors in Vale Road, Portslade, at about 11.30pm on Thursday. Two neighbours held the teenagers while Mrs Cook called the police.

A police spokeswoman said the pair, aged 16 and 18, were both cautioned and released without charge.

Mrs Cook said: "There is a terrible problem in this area with vandalism.

"Every night it seems something is going on. There are a lot of elderly people living here and most of them are scared to leave their homes at night.

"There are never any police on the beat to reassure vulnerable people. I have had enough. I am not frightened by these people. I just want it to stop so we can all have a more peaceful life."

A police spokeswoman said: "There is insufficient evidence at the moment to suggest a link between the incident Mrs Cook witnessed and the vandalism of her car.

"However, we have not ruled it out and are stepping up patrols in the area. It is vital people contact us when they believe vandalism has occurred so we can catch whoever is responsible."