A WOMAN had to be freed from the wreckage of her car after colliding with a horse on a rural road.

The accident happened on Middleton Road, between Sadberge and Middleton St George, near Darlington, at 9.45pm on Thursday.

The woman had to be cut from her car after the impact with the animal left her trapped in her vehicle, but a police spokeswoman said it was thought that she had suffered minor injuries.

Police, fire and ambulance crews from Darlington, Newton Aycliffe and Bishop Auckland were involved in the rescue operation.

The police spokeswoman said reports from officers at the scene indicated that the horse had survived the collision but she was unable to say what had happened to the animal.

The collision on Middleton Road came days after five horses were killed after roaming on to the Darlington to Middlesbrough rail line from a field in Middleton St George.

Several members of the public had raised concerns over the weekend about the group of seven ponies, which appear to have been abandoned, but although police did eventually close them into a grassed area they subsequently escaped on to the railway line.

Doris Jones, ward councillor for Middleton St George, said the village had had a problem with loose horses for many years.

She said: “It’s always been an issue but it is becoming a real concern after these two incidents.

“The problem is that these ponies are worth so little that it probably costs more to feed them than the owner would get by selling them, so they just let them go.

“The police have been in touch with me about the railway incident and I know they are taking that seriously.”