Escaping horses spark safety fears on busy main road
A FRUSTRATED call has been made for urgent action to tackle horses that repeatedly escape from a field in Hucknall and wander onto a busy road.
She says that the horses escape from land on Wighay Road and run across Annesley Road and near to the high-speed Hucknall bypass.
On one occasion they have bolted as late as 11 pm.
The Dispatch source said: “This is an accident waiting to happen. I have contacted the RSPCA and they are not interested, they say it is a police matter. Why are they able to get out so easily?”
Hucknall police officers have twice been alerted to horses having escaped from the field in recent weeks.
The town’s police chief, Insp Nick Butler, warned that horses can cause serious injury.
During his early days on the force, he was injured when a horse jumped over a hedge and crushed the police car he was sitting in.
He said: “We have investigated the problem on Wighay Road and we have established who the owner of the horses is. It is an offence not to make sure that horses are securely fenced in.
“If you own a horse, you have an obligation to make sure they are safe and looked after.
“If they do wander into the highway, there is a risk of injury or worse.
“It is also a drain on our resources and something we need to deal with robustly because officers should be out there locking up criminals. We are also liaising with the RSPCA.”
Coun Chris Baron (Lab), a Hucknall member of Ashfield District Council, has also looked into the complaints.
He has tasked members of the highways team at the council to track down and speak with the owner of the horses.
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Weather for Hucknall
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 26 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North east
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