Stray horse complaints near to 100

Almost 100 reports of stray horses causing havoc in a Black Country borough were logged with council chiefs in two months, new figures have revealed.

Dudley Council received the calls between early March and mid-May with the animals being spotted in streets and gardens in Pensnett and Kingswinford.

Police have seized 16 horses since they began rounding them up at the end of April, following a new agreement with the council. Stray horses have also blighted other parts of the Black Country.

In Tipton and West Bromwich the animals have been running loose and wrecking gardens. They have also been found on open land in Moxley and in George Rose Park, Darlaston.

A new report says council officers in Dudley now believe that 20 horses, bought for £5 each, could have been set loose in retaliation for some animals having been impounded. This has caused an increase in reports since the start of the year.

Dudley's director of urban environment John Millar said: "Between early March and mid-May the council received nearly 100 calls from residents reporting sightings of stray horses, particularly in the Pensnett/Kingswinford area, with these horses being found on roads and in people's gardens causing significant disruption."

The new agreement between the council and police on how to tackle the problem was reached after a law dating back to the 1800s was uncovered giving police the power to seize them.

Mr Millar said: "It was an unintended consequence of our bailiffs' impoundment action on Fens Pool last October that one or more horse owners retaliated."

The report will be discussed by the council's regeneration, culture and adult education scrutiny committee on June 8.