Just one horse out of 51 seized in Sandwell returned to owner
Just one horse seized in a Black Country borough in the past two years has been returned to its owner, an investigation has revealed.
The problem of roaming horses is one of the biggest being dealt with in the region.
But latest figures show that out of 51 horses taken from land in Sandwell, only one was successfully returned to its owner.
This compares with just one horse that was reunited with its owner out of 257 that were seized in Dudley over the same period.
Councillor Derek Rowley, who has been leading Sandwell's drive to rid the borough of tethered and roaming horses, said owners were not prepared to pay the costs associated with recovering the animals.
"In order to give the horses back, we ask people to pay us what it has cost the council to move them," he said.
"By the time you have added on vet's costs, because often the horses are in a bad condition, and the fees to the bailiffs, they don't want to know.
"They can just go down the market and buy another one for £5 or £6. Most of them don't even bother to ask for them back. Of those 51 we have probably given out about three quotes."
Details showed Sandwell Council gained £945 for the disposal of the horses, although this was offset against the more significant fees to Rossendales, the Lancashire-based bailiffs seizing the animals on behalf of the authority.
Earlier this month farming chiefs at an NFU conference in Birmingham called for stricter control on horse passport regulations after fears were raised stray horses from Tipton could be ending up on the dinner table. But assurances have been given that no horses impounded in Sandwell were processed for food protein.
