Telford horse-owner's anger over long wait for animals

Samantha Garbett-Charles' horse Sammy escaped from his field in Hortonwood, Telford, on December 13. Police were called out to reports of a horse loose on the road, and they contacted Equine Emergency Services (EES) to catch Sammy and look after him until his owner could be found.

But Mrs Garbett-Charles, of McCormick Drive, Shawbirch, Telford, said despite contacting police within six hours to claim her horse back, she has still not been able to bring Sammy back home.

No-one from EES was available to comment on the claim. "I didn't know where he'd gone until a friend found a poster that had been left on a gate near the field which said he'd been taken by this horse bailiff," said Mrs Garbett-Charles.

"I went straight to the police station with the horse box and his ID documents to collect him, it was only about six hours after they'd collected him. But the police told me that I had to pay a £480 fee first before they could contact EES and get him released back to me.

"They wanted a cheque so I had to borrow some money from a friend to be able to cover the amount. I got the cheque to the police the next day but I still haven't been able to get Sammy back. "

Mrs Garbett-Charles said she was particularly worried as Sammy had been mistreated before she got him and would most likely be nervous and scared."

Holly Claydon-Bevan, spokeswoman for West Mercia Police, said: "EES are contracted to provide assistance with loose horses.

"EES can take the horses to a safe place, having first made efforts with officers at the scene to try to identify an owner to get an early repatriation. The horses can then be looked after until the owner is verified. Once ownership is verified, the horse will be released back to the owner."