Hundreds of horses are taken off streets
More than 200 stray horses have been rounded up from the streets of two Black Country boroughs after new measures to stop them wandering were introduced.
Both Dudley and Sandwell have been plagued by the roaming animals causing a nuisance by walking out in front of cars and trampling through gardens. Both councils drew up action plans to tackle the problem. In Dudley police respond to calls from the public after the council found an ancient by-law giving them the power to remove the animals from roads.
The scheme was originally a six-month trial, launched in April last year, but has been extended after proving successful. The rescued horses are taken out of the area to be rehomed.
Around 160 had been rounded up during the first year and since then numbers have continued to fall.
Police are now being called out to deal with up to four horses every month.
West Midlands Police communications officer Carly Anderson said: "The team are still working with a horse bailiff. There has been a 68 per cent drop in calls about horses. Every single one of the horses taken in has been rehomed."
Meanwhile in Sandwell, bailiffs have been employed by the council to seize the stray animals. It followed complaints about roaming horses kicking over bins and chopping up gardens in Tipton. There were also problems on the Wednesbury Oak Estate. But the move has prompted controversy among horse lovers who have threatened legal action after their pets were seized.
Council spokesman Dave Lawley said: "Since the start of the year 20 stray horses have been collected."
Other proposals the council has considered to tackle the problem include vets being called in to sedate horses to make them easier to catch and secure.
